Far-right pastor to undergo warrant hearing, promises followers to 'return as president' if arrested

Far-right pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon of the Sarang Jeil Church, who is set to undergo a warrant hearing over allegations tied to the Seoul Western District Court disturbance, told his followers he’ll “return as president” if he gets arrested this time.

Far-right pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church speaks at a joint praying session in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 16, 2025. [YONHAP]

Far-right pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon of the Sarang Jeil Church, who is set to undergo a warrant hearing over allegations tied to the Seoul Western District Court disturbance, told his followers on Sunday that he’ll “return as president” if he gets arrested this time.

The Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office filed a request for an arrest warrant for Jeon last Thursday. He is accused of exerting psychological control on church members, providing financial support to close aides and conservative YouTubers and encouraging protesters to storm the Seoul Western District Court on Jan. 19, 2025.

“God has a reason for sending people to prison,” Jeon said. “God puts people in prison because [God] needs it.”

Far-right pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon of the Sarang Jeil Church speaks in front of his church in Seongbuk District, central Seoul, during a police raid on Aug. 5, 2025. [YONHAP]

Jeon continued, “People who have never been to jail tend to fear it, but those who have been once end up missing it,” adding that he had even thought about “building a room identical to the one that [he] had at the Seoul Detention Center” and living there.

The day before, at a rally organized by the far-right Liberty Unification Party at the same location as the worship service, Jeon said that even if he is detained, he will be found “100 percent not guilty,” as an “absurd” warrant request had been filed.

Jeon, who faces accusations including incitement to special trespass and incitement to obstruction of official duties, is scheduled to undergo questioning before a warrant is issued on Tuesday.

A decision on whether to detain him could come as early as Tuesday afternoon.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]