Global Pastors Rally to Defend Religious Freedom in South Korea, Urge Release of 95-Year-Old Shincheonji Leader

Amid escalating concerns over religious freedom in South Korea, seven Christian organizations from Korea and abroad convened the "1st Joint Assembly of World Pastors" on August 13, drawing 3,000 pastors from major countries in both online and offline formats. The assembly, co-hosted by groups including the Council for Christian Mutual Growth, the Russian Evangelical Alliance, and the Thai Evangelical Alliance Association, sharply criticized the South Korean government's actions against religious groups, particularly the detention of Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee, and warned of the erosion of the separation of church and state.

Rev. Im Young-woong, senior pastor of Saehimang Church of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, drew parallels between the debate over dissolving religious corporations in South Korea and the recent dissolution of the Unification Church in Japan. He cited the Tokyo District Court's dissolution order in March 2025 and its finalization by Japan's Supreme Court in June 2026, noting that while the order targeted the legal status of the religious corporation, its practical impact—including loss of tax benefits and asset liquidation—was substantial. Rev. Im pointed to Article 38 of Korea's Civil Act, which allows revocation of a corporation's establishment permit for "acts that harm the public interest," questioning who determines what harms the public interest and by what standard. He referenced the 2020 revocation of a permit for a Shincheonji-linked association and the December 2025 presidential order to review dissolution of domestic religious organizations, warning that these developments threaten all religious communities.

Rev. Vitaly Kirillovich Vlasenko, General Secretary of the Russian Evangelical Alliance, emphasized that "public opinion cannot be a verdict." He argued that the legal standard applied to a religion and its leader should not change based on social hatred, citing the 2020 case where a national petition demanding Shincheonji's dissolution gathered over 500,000 signatures within two days. He noted that despite public pressure, the Supreme Court acquitted Chairman Lee of charges related to the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, underscoring the difference between public opinion and judicial judgment. He called for equal application of the law, regardless of doctrine.

Bishop Elias Elijah Changa, founder of the Zambia-based Missionary Ambassadors for Global Evangelism, raised humanitarian concerns over the detention of the 95-year-old chairman. Drawing from his prison ministry experience, he stressed that detention poses severe hardship for the elderly and urged authorities to consider lawful alternatives such as bail or residence restriction. He insisted that the request for fairness is not about special treatment but about extending universal rights to everyone.

The assembly concluded with the adoption of a Joint Statement, signed by Christian leaders worldwide, demanding that the government cease using specific religions as political tools, that the judiciary uphold the presumption of innocence and halt trials by public opinion, and that the court grant bail and release Chairman Lee immediately. The organizers declared, "The cases presented here are not the problem of one denomination alone but a grave warning signal spanning religious freedom in the Republic of Korea as a whole," and vowed to continue their response in solidarity with international human-rights organizations.