Pastor Son Hyun-bo Speaking to Urge Rejection of Impeachment - File Photo 

With Pastor Son Hyun-bo of Saegye-ro Church being arrested, the essence of the case is moving beyond whether there was a violation of the Public Official Election Act, focusing instead on the timing of the Busan Metropolitan Election Commission's complaint.

Pastor Son's actions occurred in the lead-up to the 2025 Busan Superintendent of Education by-election, and the Election Commission's complaint was filed just two days before the election on March 28th. A further complaint was filed in May.

This complaint was not a 'late action' but rather timed for maximum political effect. It was too late to change the election results, but the most opportune moment to amplify the case's impact.

Furthermore, the candidate, Jung Seung-yoon, with whom Pastor Son held the interview, lost the election. In an election where the outcome was already determined, the Election Commission's decision to file a complaint based on an issue with little practical consequence makes the justification of 'ensuring fairness' difficult to persuade.

Legally, the Election Commission is required to file a complaint upon discovering any illegal activity, in accordance with Article 262 of the Public Official Election Act. While the act of filing a complaint is a legitimate authority, actions concentrated at the end of an election are difficult to avoid controversy regarding impartiality. A simple explanation of "we acted according to the law" cannot quell the question of "why now?"

The situation would be different if there were external pressure or internal political directives. This would not simply be a matter of timing, but a significant event that undermines the impartiality of a constitutionally independent institution. If external power intervened, it could be criticized as abuse of power, and if the Election Commission acted based on political intentions, it could be criticized as dereliction of duty and violation of the duty of impartiality.

Moreover, the fundamental purpose of the Public Official Election Act is not to deal with the violations of losing candidates. The legislative intent is to ensure the legitimacy of public office by controlling the violations of elected officials. The systems for voiding elections and the aggravated penalties for elected officials are evidence of this. Losing candidates have not obtained power, so any violations they may have committed have limited systemic impact.

Therefore, the complaint filed just before the election in connection with a losing candidate, which subsequently led to an arrest, cannot avoid criticism as an overreach of law enforcement that goes beyond the legislative intent and practical necessity.

The case of Pastor Son Hyun-bo is not simply the arrest of a religious figure, but reveals the constitutional challenge of how the Election Commission should manage the timing and impartiality of law enforcement. It is a situation where a dual evaluation may be made: legally innocent, but politically guilty.

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[Correction]

In our article dated September 8, 2025, titled "Son Hyun-bo's Arrest, Election Commission's Backing Rumors Resurface," the Hankyoreh reported incorrect facts regarding the case of Pastor Son Hyun-bo.

① The article stated: "Pastor Son's actions occurred in the lead-up to the 2024 Busan Superintendent of Education by-election, but the Election Commission's complaints were filed in March and May 2025. There was a time lag of nearly a year between the action and the complaint."

→ This is incorrect. The accurate information is: "Pastor Son's actions occurred in the lead-up to the 2025 Busan Superintendent of Education by-election, and the Election Commission's complaints were filed just two days before the election on March 31, 2025, and again in May."

② Accordingly, the issue raised in the article regarding a "one-year delayed complaint" is inaccurate. The correct context is "complaint filed just before the election."

We deeply apologize to our readers, the Election Commission, and Pastor Son Hyun-bo for any confusion caused by this error and will strive to ensure greater accuracy in fact-checking in the future.

The article currently published has been revised to reflect this correction.

September 10, 2025

Editorial Department, Hankookilbo