By Kim Tae-jong
The internal sectarian conflict among the congregation and pastors over the leadership at Somang Presbyterian Church, one of the nation’s biggest churches in affluent southern Seoul, has developed into an assault case involving its head pastor and other pastors.
Police said Tuesday head pastor Kim Jie-chul has been assaulted by two former and current vice pastors at the church at which President Lee Myung-bak served as an elder.
The Gangnam Police Station arrested and investigated one of the vice pastors of the church and an ex-vice pastor on charges of physical assault against Kim.
According to the police, the two suspects, only identified by their surnames, Choi and Cho, assaulted the 63-year-old head pastor on Sunday, breaking the bone around his left eye and inflicting other minor injuries. Kim has been hospitalized.
The two suspects were caught at the scene by the police and later also hospitalized as they complained of the injuries they got from the fight.
But they denied the physical assault against Kim, only admitting that they engaged in a brawl and pushed him on the floor.
“They seemed to have a grudge against the head pastor after they had been excluded from some pasturing work,” a police officer said.
Choi, who was dismissed as a vice pastor, filed a lawsuit against the dismissal. Cho has also been reportedly on the verge of leaving his post as he has been assigned to a diocese of his own.
It is reported that the churchgoers have been in discord since Kim became the chief pastor of the church after the church’s founder Kwak Sun-hee stepped down in 2003.
Two more brawls between worshippers and pastors have previously been reported.
The church has been also in the spotlight as President Lee served as an elder before he won the presidential election in 2008. He was later criticized forappointing many of his fellow believers from the church to important posts including ministers and key aides.
President Lee also went to the church for mass on Easter last year for the first time since 2008.