The Election Committee (chair: Rev. Gil Ja-yeon) of the Christian Council of Korea (CCK; executive director: Rev. Lee Young-hoon) concluded on January 19th that Mr. Kim No-a (Kim Pung-il, before name change), who on January 16th submitted his registration of candidacy for the 22nd executive director’s election, is not eligible to run, and thus removed his name from the list of candidates.
CCK’s Election Committee chair, Rev. Gil Ja-yeon, announced this on the 19th, after the committee meeting, at a press conference held at the CCK office in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
CCK’s election management regulations (Article 2, item 3) specify the qualifications of a candidate as follows: “A clergyperson whose spirituality and morality are objectively recognized, and who is recommended by an affiliated denomination or organization.” But it also specifies that an elder pastor of a church or a retired pastor is not eligible for candidacy.
Rev. Gil explained, “Kim retired on September 24 last year, and thus is not eligible to run in the executive director’s election.” CCK plans to return the 150 million won Kim submitted as his registration fee and contribution to the CCK development fund.
Kim’s registration as a CCK executive director candidate on January 16 provoked strong dispute, because at one time, in 2009, he was reported by the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK Tonghap) to be “heretical.”
CCK’s election of its next executive director will take place at 10 a.m. this coming January 31 at the CCK general assembly, to be held in the grand hall on the 3rd floor of the Korean Christian Ecumenical Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Since Rev. Lee Young-hoon is registered as the sole candidate for the post, the vote will be for or against him. It is anticipated that the process of the Korean churches’ uniting around the Korea Federation of Churches will be accelerated if Lee is elected as the next director.
In the photo, the members of the CCK Election Committee pose after the press conference at the CCK office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on January 19. From left to right are the Revs. Lee Gang-pyeong, Lee Yong-gyu, Gil Ja-yeon, Eom Shin-hyeong, and Bae Jin-gu.
Article and photo by reporter Pyeong Seon Jeon (junbs@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)
Original Article in Korean:
“김노아씨, 피선거권 없다” 한기총 대표회장 후보 탈락: 한기총 선관위 논란 끝 결론… 단독입후보 이영훈 대표회장
“Mr. Kim No-a is not eligible for election”: Rev. Lee Young-hoon Sole Candidate for CCK Election
2017-01-23 13:45
