Rev. Lee Dong-hwan attends an ecclesiastical tribunal at the Korean Methodist Church headquarters in Seoul, June 13, 2022. Yonhap

A local court accepted a pastor's request, Thursday, to suspend the Korean Methodist Church's (KMC) decision to excommunicate him for blessing sexual minorities.

The Suwon District Court decided in favor of Rev. Lee Dong-hwan, saying the effect of excommunication will be suspended until the ruling of the relevant lawsuit to annul the KMC decision comes out.

In October 2019, the KMC suspended him for two years for holding a blessing prayer for LGBTQ people at the Incheon Queer Culture Festival a month earlier. Then it excommunicated him in December last year for violating the church's doctrine that prohibits any acts “favoring or sympathizing with homosexuality.”

While he appealed, the church's judicial committee confirmed the excommunication in March, and he filed for the court injunction.

Unlike suspension or dismissal, excommunication is the highest level of punishment that would prevent him from ever setting foot in a religious order again. If the disposition is confirmed, Rev. Lee cannot return to the domestic Methodist Church even as a regular church member.

“The norm and evaluation of homosexuality has changed over time. The Constitution guarantees equal rights to all citizens, and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation without a reasonable cause,” the court said.

"Considering these, the level of disciplinary action should be decided by reflecting every factor comprehensively. While excommunication means expulsion from the church, its decision was not made in that way."

The court also said, “The freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution, especially the freedom of expression on public interests, should be guaranteed as much as possible as an important constitutional right,” the ruling said.

Civic groups supporting Lee welcomed the decision.

“The ruling clearly revealed that the Methodist decision against Rev. Lee had serious problems not only in procedure but also in content,” the group said in a statement released, Friday. “We urge the Methodist Church to take the meaning of the ruling seriously, acknowledge the unfair disciplinary action made so far and withdraw the excommunication measure.”