Planned papal visit to Kkottongnae prompts protest

A society of Catholic priests is opposing a planned visit by Pope Francis to Kkottongnae, a community for disabled people, claiming that the pontiff should not associate with the “mafia.”

Some 50 members of Little Jesus Society’s House of Joseph, and nuns and monks from the society staged a protest Tuesday at Kkottongnae in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province.

The House of Joseph is a shelter for disabled people in the county run by the society.

They opposed the pope’s scheduled visit to Kkotdongnae in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong Province, claiming that “pope’s visit will give Kkottongnae President Fr. John Oh Woong-jin an indulgence.”

Kkottongnae is one of the largest Catholic-run communities for disabled people in Korea. Headquartered in Eumseong, it has several chapters in Korea, including one in Gapyeong, as well as other countries, such as the Philippines and the U.S.

Last month, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province said earlier that Francis will visit Kkottongnae during his visit to Korea on Aug. 14.

The Little Jesus Society opposes Francis’s visit to Kkottongnae because they believe the community is corrupt.

“The community has been riddled with a number of corruption scandals masterminded by Oh,” they claimed.

Oh has faced a number of trials over allegations he embezzled some 3.4 billion won while running the community. The Supreme Court acquitted him of this charge in 2007, but a number of Eumseong County residents still suggest that he has accumulated a fortune through buying land larger than 13 million square meters.

Following the suspicion, the residents have accused Oh again last year, asking prosecutors to investigate how the community for the disabled can purchase such a massive area of land and whether Kkottongnae has used government subsidies properly.
It is now pending at Daejeon High Prosecutors’ Office.

“Kkottongnae’s practices are almost same as the mafia,” said an official at the Little Jesus Society. “Papal visit should look after the poorest and most helpless people, not those in a wealthy environment.”

Also the society said Gapyeong Kkottongnae has a monopoly on receiving government subsidies allocated for social welfare facilities in the county.

Fr. Joseph Park Sung-gu of the society said, “Kkottongnae should share its annual government subsidies worth 40 to 50 billion won with other welfare facilities in the county which has never benefited from.”

However, the county government rebutted their claims.

“It is true that Gapyeong Kkottongnae receives the largest amount of government subsidy,” said an official at the county. “However, it is because the facility is the largest in the county, which houses more than 1,500 people.”

According to him, the county is a small rural one, allocated small government subsidies, even though the number of welfare facilities there is significant. Due to this, it allowed welfare facilities to operate on condition that no subsidies would be provided for them.

Meanwhile, Little Jesus Society said it plans to deliver a letter containing such details to the pope and requested him to reconsider the visit to Eumseong Kkottongnae.

“We plan to stage a protest in front of the Vatican to deliver the letter to the pope,” said the official at the society.

Officials from the Eumseong Kkottongnae were not immediately available for comment. By Nam Hyun-woo The korea times