Korean court upholds ruling against neo-Christian sect
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A South Korean city’s mayor has welcomed an appeals court’s upholding a ruling that revoked a neo-Christian sect’s fraudulently obtained permit to use a building for religious purposes.
Mayor Lee Dong-hwan of Goyang City welcomed the ruling against the Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ appeal, the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper reported on Sept. 1, citing the mayor’s office.
“This ruling holds significant meaning as it reaffirms through the judiciary that the city’s decision to resolve community conflicts and resident concerns while safeguarding public safety and quality of life was justified,” Lee said.
Earlier on Aug. 29, Judge Koo Hoe-geun of the Seoul High Court upheld a previous ruling of the Uijeongbu District Court against Shincheonji.
The group had filed the lawsuit against the Mayor of Goyang City to overturn the city’s revocation of the “permit for change of use” of a building.
In a statement, the Goyang City Mayor’s office said that the permit to use the building owned by Shincheonji for religious purposes was obtained through fraudulent means.
“The [owners of the] building in question had applied for a change of use to a religious facility in 2018,” the mayor’s office said.
“But it was rejected during the architectural review due to issues like parking and safety,” the mayor’s office added.
Content retrieved from: https://www.ucanews.com/news/korean-court-upholds-ruling-against-neo-christian-sect/110156.
