DALLAS, TX — On August 13, seven religious organizations from Korea and abroad convened the 1st Joint Assembly of World Pastors, bringing together approximately 3,000 pastors online and offline to address what they describe as a crisis of religious freedom in South Korea. 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 government's actions against religious groups, particularly the detention of 95-year-old Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee. Speakers argued that the situation transcends any single denomination or nation, posing a threat to universal religious freedom.
Rev. Im Young-woong, senior pastor of Saehimang Church of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, opened the discussion by linking the debate over dissolving religious corporations to international precedents. He cited Japan's dissolution of the Unification Church, finalized by the Supreme Court in June 2026, as a cautionary tale. "What was dissolved in Japan was not the faith itself but its legal status as a religious corporation; yet the practical impact on the religious community is by no means small," he said. Rev. Im warned that Article 38 of Korea's Civil Act, which permits revocation of corporate permits for "acts that harm the public interest," is dangerously vague. He referenced the 2020 revocation of an incorporated association linked to Shincheonji and the December 2025 presidential order to review dissolving domestic religious organizations, stating, "Our concerns are becoming reality." He stressed that "social unpopularity" must not be grounds for dissolution, invoking Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to emphasize that religious freedom must not vary based on popularity.
Rev. Vitaly Kirillovich Vlasenko, General Secretary of the Russian Evangelical Alliance, presented on the theme "Public opinion cannot be a verdict." He argued that legal standards should not change because a religion becomes an object of social hatred. Referring to the 2020 backlash against Shincheonji during the COVID-19 pandemic, when a national petition for forced dissolution surpassed one million signatures, he noted, "An atmosphere formed as if society had already handed down its verdict before the court had even held a trial." He highlighted that the Supreme Court ultimately acquitted Chairman Lee on charges of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, underscoring the difference between public opinion and judicial judgment. He urged equal application of legal standards, regardless of doctrine.
Bishop Elias Elijah Changa, founder of Zambia's Missionary Ambassadors for Global Evangelism, brought a humanitarian perspective from his prison ministry experience. He acknowledged that Chairman Lee's long work for peace through HWPL does not grant immunity from the law, but insisted that judgments must be based on law and evidence alone. "Detention causes especially serious and harsh hardship for the elderly," he said, urging authorities to consider lawful alternatives such as bail or medical accommodation. "We are not demanding special treatment because he is a religious leader; we are asking that the fairness, dignity, and universal rights owed to everyone be extended equally to him."
The assembly concluded with the adoption of a Joint Statement demanding that the South Korean 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 to the elderly leader. 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." They vowed to continue their response in solidarity with international human-rights organizations and churches worldwide.
