Visitor publish by a Citizen of the Republic of Korea
Introduction: A Sample of Persecution
Within the span of just some months in 2025, the South Korean authorities underneath President Lee Jae-myung has launched a collection of unprecedented raids towards main church buildings and senior Christian leaders. What makes this wave of crackdowns so alarming is just not solely its scale, but additionally its unmistakable political focusing on.
The church buildings underneath assault—Yeouido Full Gospel Church, SaRang Jeil Church, Segyero Church, and Unjeong Chamjon Church—have one thing in widespread: they’re on the forefront of defending freedom, working towards biblical convictions, and voicing opposition to the impeachment and imprisonment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and former First Woman Kim Keon-hee.
Because the Nationwide Meeting compelled by the impeachment invoice in December 2024, these church buildings have been the spine of nationwide protests demanding Yoon’s reinstatement and launch.
Public opposition to impeachment surged above 50%, largely pushed by church-led actions. In the present day, the overwhelming majority of residents who nonetheless reject Lee Jae-myung’s presidency and name for Yoon’s launch are Christians.
The federal government is aware of this. And by putting at church buildings, it’s making an attempt to dismantle the very infrastructure of resistance.
Case 1: SaRang Jeil Church (Rev. Jeon Kwang-hoon)
On August 5, police raided Rev. Jeon’s residence, church, and media studio, citing allegations that he incited the “Seobu Courtroom riot” in January.
Actuality: The occasion in query occurred hours after Jeon had already ended his rally.
Church stance: Jeon insisted, “I’m an emeritus pastor, not even able to provide such orders.”
Criticism: The raid was not about real proof however about punishing a pastor whose church spearheaded anti-impeachment protests.
Case 2: Segyero Church (Rev. Son Hyun-bo)
On Could 12, police stormed Rev. Son’s office and even seized his private cellphone, citing alleged election regulation violations. His crime? Internet hosting a candidate for a dialogue forward of the Busan superintendent of schooling by-election and importing the video on-line.
Church stance: Over 1,200 Christian and civic teams instantly gathered on the Nationwide Meeting, calling the raid “unprecedented spiritual persecution.”
Their level: Son by no means instructed congregants whom to vote for. He merely urged participation. Utilizing microphones in a 5,000-seat sanctuary was handled as if it had been illegal campaigning.
Criticism: A blatant overreach. The state reinterpreted regular pastoral duties as prison acts.
Case 3: Unjeong Chamjon Church (Rev. Ko Byung-chan)
Simply two weeks later, on Could 26, Unjeong Chamjon Church was raided alongside Segyero.
Church stance: Leaders decried that police intruded throughout worship and even seized pastors’ private gadgets. “This isn’t mere process—it destroys the sanctity of the church itself.”
Criticism: Crossing the brink into energetic worship area represents a harmful precedent. As soon as the sanctity of the pulpit is violated by the state, no religion neighborhood is secure.
Case 4: Yeouido Full Gospel Church (Rev. Lee Younger-hoon)
On July 18, prosecutors raided the world’s largest Pentecostal church and Rev. Lee’s residence. The pretext: alleged “lobbying” for a former Marine Corps commander implicated within the controversial dying of a soldier.
Rev. Lee’s response: “I by no means even obtained a prayer request associated to the case. There was no lobbying, no phrases exchanged with officers.”
Criticism: To tug the nation’s most influential pastor right into a political case was to ship a chilling message: no church is untouchable.
Case 5: Far East Broadcasting (Rev. Kim Jang-hwan)
The identical day, authorities raided Far East Broadcasting, focusing on Rev. Kim Jang-hwan, a veteran Christian broadcaster.
Political response: The principle opposition occasion, Individuals Energy Social gathering, issued a proper assertion: “Raiding revered senior pastors on flimsy grounds is an abuse of energy and a violation of constitutional spiritual freedom.”
Criticism: This case revealed that the raids had been not “regulation enforcement.” That they had turn into a unadorned political device.
The Frequent Thread
What ties these instances collectively is evident:
- Every focused church has been central to the anti-impeachment, pro-Yoon motion.
- Every raid intruded on constitutionally protected areas of worship, from sanctuaries to pastors’ workplaces.
- Every case demonstrates inflated prices—turning sermons, discussions, and even silence into “crimes.”
By labeling pastors as criminals, the federal government goals to delegitimize church-led protests and break the backbone of resistance.
Constitutional Implications
South Korea’s Structure explicitly ensures freedom of faith and the separation of church and state. But in 2025, church buildings have been raided in methods unseen even underneath previous dictatorships. Police entered sanctuaries throughout worship. Prosecutors seized pastors’ non-public gadgets. Judges rubber-stamped warrants with out restraint.
This isn’t the rule of regulation. It’s the weaponization of regulation.
Why This Issues Past Korea
These raids will not be only a home Korean concern. They strike at values that the worldwide neighborhood, and particularly the USA, maintain pricey:
- Non secular freedom is the primary freedom. If South Korea abandons it, the influence might be felt globally.
- Alliance in danger. South Korea is America’s closest ally in Asia. A authorities that suppresses religion and freedom whereas leaning towards Beijing undermines the belief that alliance relies on.
- A worldwide sample. Around the globe, leftist regimes and Soros-backed networks have weaponized regulation (“lawfare”) to silence church buildings, conservatives, and pro-freedom actions. Korea immediately is a part of that very same sample.
- Aligned with Trump’s imaginative and prescient. President Trump has at all times stood for freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and opposition to socialism. The crackdown on Korean church buildings is an assault on all three.
Conclusion: A Warning for the Free World
The world ought to perceive: these will not be remoted instances. They’re coordinated strikes by a authorities petrified of its folks and decided to silence its most organized opposition—the church.
Korean Christians, by their religion and their braveness, have stood towards unjust impeachment and known as for the discharge of their elected chief. For this, they’re being punished.
Non secular freedom is the primary freedom. If South Korea, lengthy thought-about a beacon of liberty in Asia, abandons it, the implications will reverberate far past its borders.
