Lee warns religious groups over constitutional violations

Dec 10, 2025, 08:46 am

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President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, on December 9. / Source: Yonhap News

For the second week in a row, President Lee Jae-myung zeroed in on the Unification Church and Coupang during a Cabinet meeting, calling for stronger measures against religious organizations that engage in political or unlawful activities.

During Tuesday’s meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, Lee said, “Whether it is a corporation or a foundation, any legal entity that engages in conduct violating the Constitution or the law must be dissolved.”

His remarks again drew attention to the government’s next steps regarding the Unification Church, which is currently under a special investigation over alleged collusion with the previous Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

Addressing Korea’s top legal official, Lee asked Minister of Government Legislation Cho Won-cheol whether the ministry had reviewed “ways to dissolve religious groups that intervene in politics or engage in abnormal activities through illegal funding.”

Last week, Lee had similarly directed his government to examine cases in which religious foundations “breached the constitutional principle of separation of religion and state by intervening in politics in an organized and systematic manner,” noting that Japan has already issued dissolution orders in similar circumstances.

Lee pressed further on Tuesday, asking, “Tell me first whether dissolution is possible,” and, “Which ministry has the authority to cancel the establishment permit of a religious organization?”

Cho responded that dissolution is possible “under Article 38 of the Civil Act when a religious organization repeatedly commits serious unlawful acts at an institutional level.” He added that jurisdiction over revoking establishment permits lies with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Lee said he would “seek further confirmation” later.

Lee also ordered the government to strengthen penalties for Coupang following the massive personal data leak. According to deputy spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung, the president instructed officials to consider raising corporate fines and invoking compulsory investigative authority. Earlier, he had also called for the “realistic enforcement” of punitive damages.

Lee went on to note that disagreements in the legislative process were inevitable but stressed, “Even if there are conflicts, we must carry out necessary reforms in line with the will of the people.”

Meanwhile, Woo Sang-ho, senior presidential political affairs secretary, said on a YouTube broadcast Tuesday that the president’s position on the proposed “sedition tribunal” was to begin from the appellate level. “The guidance the president has given repeatedly is to ‘push reforms without delay but do so wisely,’” Woo said.

#Religious group dissolution #Coupang #Unification Church #Lee Jae-myung