Pastor questioned for calling 1980 democracy movement a 'North Korea-led riot'

A pastor who claimed that the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Uprising was a "riot orchestrated under orders from North Korea” is facing an investigation, the Seoul Songpa Police precinct said Wednesday.

The pastor was summoned for questioning on Tuesday.

“If things continue this way, a constitutional amendment could only be passed through a rigged election alongside the June 3 local elections, which will pave the way for a full-fledged communist system,” the pastor said during his daily sermon on May 3, which was uploaded on YouTube on the same day.

"The main purpose of this constitutional amendment is to enshrine the spirit of the May 18 movement in the Constitution. But the truth is that May 18 was not a democratization movement. It was a communist riot orchestrated under orders from North Korea."

The May 18 Gwangju Democratization Uprising took place in the Jeolla region in 1980, which was later brutally suppressed by the military regime of Chun Doo Hwan.   

In the same month, a progressive Christian civic group accused the pastor of violating the Special Act on the May 18 Democratization Movement.

Spreading false information about the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement is subject to criminal penalty under the act, which took effect in 2021. 

Violators face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won ($33,100). The law covers not only false claims spread through broadcasts and online platforms, but also those made at public events such as debates, rallies and forums.

BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]