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| Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon, pastor of the Sarang Jeil Church, walks into the Seoul Central District Court for a trial hearing, in this Feb. 24, file photo. Korea Times file |
By Park Ji-won
Outspoken pastor Jun Kwang-hoon of the Sarang Jeil Church, a harsh critic of the Moon Jae-in government, came under fire again, this time for his "defamatory" remarks about "comfort women."
During a sermon at his church, Feb. 21, Jun said, "Mary is a single mother and all women in the genealogy of Jesus are prostitutes. Military brothels are necessary to satisfy male soldiers' sexual desires." He added, "You congregants are also whores because you had a one night stand with Satan even though you have lived sincerely."
Jun is no stranger to controversy. At a March 1 public rally, he called President Moon Jae-in a "spoiled brat" and a "useless man," saying the nation should take action to oust him from leadership.
The women's committee of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), a liberal consultation body of local churches in Korea, criticized Jun for his remarks, Monday. They said the pastor hurt the community of churches and distorted the messages of Jesus, urging him to step down immediately and apologize to the victims of wartime sexual slavery.
"He was ousted from his religious denomination. But he created his own and continues to masquerade as a pastor," the committee said in a statement. "Some Protestant Church members have raised the point several times that he is a cult leader but some larger denominations stay silent on this. Other church members suffer as a result. So we think the entire Protestant Church should take responsibility."
He was critical of fellow pastors, calling them "idiots." He made a case for the March 1 rallies, saying Korea has 12 million Protestant Church members but because of the "stupid" pastors they are not united to fight against the Moon government. "Arise all Protestant Church members. Stand firm and bring Moon Jae-in down from presidency," he was quoted as saying during the sermon.
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