The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Awards Presidential and Ministerial Citations to the Church of God

It has been revealed that the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries not only granted a Presidential Citation to the "World Mission Society Church of God" (formerly known as the Ahn Sahng-hong Witnesses) but also awarded it a Ministerial Citation (refer to Kukmin Ilbo, July 3, page 29). The Ministry violated its own citation regulations, while Jindo County recommended the church for the award without proper investigation, exposing significant flaws in the nomination and verification processes for the Ministerial Citation.

In December of last year, the Ministry awarded the citation to the Church of God, which had provided free meal services for the families of victims after the Sewol Ferry disaster, based on a recommendation from Jindo County. According to the Ministry’s citation regulations, such awards must be decided through a Public Merit Review Committee chaired by the Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries. Furthermore, Article 11, Clause 1 (Disqualification Grounds) states that "individuals or organizations under investigation or causing significant social controversy through media coverage are ineligible for the citation." As a result, the Church of God, which has been repeatedly reported by Kukmin Ilbo, KBS, SBS, and CBS as causing harm through its apocalyptic doctrines, should not have qualified for the award.

However, in a recent response to Kukmin Ilbo, the Ministry claimed, “Article 11, Clause 1 applies only to confirmed cases of misconduct or ongoing investigations, not merely to media reports on specific incidents, which do not constitute disqualification grounds.” This interpretation has been criticized as an arbitrary misreading of the regulation. The Ministry further argued, “Under our Constitution, no one should face discrimination based on religion,” effectively treating the Church’s controversial apocalyptic doctrine as a legitimate religious practice. A representative from the Ministry’s Operations and Support Division stated on the 23rd, “Our stance aligns with the response provided. There were no issues with awarding the citation to the Church of God.”

The nomination process in Jindo County was also irregular. The Jindo County Christian Council, which had been one of the most dedicated volunteer groups at Paengmok Harbor, was excluded from the nominations. Instead, organizations that had self-nominated were predominantly included. A Jindo County official revealed, “The Church of God submitted its own achievements, which we summarized and forwarded to the Ministry,” adding, “The Church initially requested the award themselves.” The official also stated, “At the time, we recommended five individuals and 11 organizations, including the Church of God. The nominations were mostly self-submitted, and the Jindo County Christian Council did not self-nominate.”

Jeon Jeong-rim, former president of the Jindo County Christian Council, stated, “We served the bereaved families at Paengmok Harbor purely from the beginning to the end without seeking recognition. If the Church of God uses this award for promotional purposes, such as hanging large banners, it would be akin to dishonoring the victims twice.”

Reporter: Baek Sang-hyun
Email: 100sh@kmib.co.kr

Source: Kukmin Ilbo (www.kmib.co.kr). Reproduction and redistribution prohibited.

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