Far-right pastor claims to have forseen Yoon's martial law

Far-right pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon, who was released on bail after being indicted for instigating a riot, claimed that he had foreseen former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law, and that the only way to save Korea is "through hefty donations."

"When Yoon was president-elect, I had a dream that he would be impeached, so I called and told him that," Jeon said during a weekend worship service held at the Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk District, central Seoul. "Yoon then asked me, 'Who would impeach me?' So I told him, 'North Korea will impeach you.'"

"Yoon was impeached by North Korea," he added.

Jeon continued, claiming that “[South] Korea has already been taken over by North Korea,” and that “we must work hard and make hefty and unconditional donations in order to save [the country].”

Jeon also made remarks related to martial law.

“I specifically told them to first fire tear gas, pretend to defend and pretend to be pushed back, and then declare martial law from the Hannam-dong safe house once the presidential office was occupied,” Jeon said. “He declared martial law on the wrong day and ended up suffering a lot himself.”

Jeon’s remarks were broadcast through a live YouTube stream on Sunday. However, as of 3 p.m. Sunday, approximately three minutes of the remarks had been edited out of a recording of the speech.

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 HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]