DALLAS, TX — On August 13, 2026, seven religious organizations from around the world convened the 1st Joint Assembly of World Pastors, drawing 3,000 pastors online and offline to denounce what they describe as a systemic crisis in religious freedom in South Korea. Co-hosted by groups including the Council for Christian Mutual Growth, the Russian Evangelical Alliance, and the Thai Evangelical Alliance Association, the assembly highlighted the detention of 95-year-old Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee as a symbol of broader threats to religious liberty and the separation of church and state.
The event featured speakers from Russia, Zambia, and South Korea who argued that the situation transcends any single denomination or nation. Rev. Im Young-woong of the Presbyterian Church of Korea opened by linking domestic debates over dissolving religious corporations to international precedents. He cited Japan's 2026 dissolution of the Unification Church, noting that while only the legal status was revoked, the consequences—loss of tax benefits and asset liquidation—were severe. He warned that South Korea's Civil Act Article 38, which permits revocation for "acts that harm the public interest," lacks clear standards. "Who decides what harms the public interest, and by what standard?" he asked, referencing the 2020 revocation of a Shincheonji-linked association's permit and the president's 2025 order to review similar actions against domestic groups.
Rev. Im stressed that criminal allegations against individuals should not justify targeting an entire religious community. "The most dangerous thing is that it is not objective criminal facts but 'social unpopularity' that operates as grounds for dissolution," he said, invoking Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to affirm that religious freedom must apply equally to all, regardless of popularity.
General Secretary Vitaly Kirillovich Vlasenko of the Russian Evangelical Alliance addressed the role of public opinion in judicial proceedings. "Public opinion cannot be a verdict," he declared, noting that during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, a petition to dissolve Shincheonji gained over a million signatures before any trial. He highlighted that South Korea's Supreme Court ultimately acquitted Lee Man-hee on Infectious Disease Control Act charges, underscoring the difference between public sentiment and legal judgment. "The stronger the social pressure, the more fair and neutral the trial must be," he added, urging equal application of the law irrespective of doctrine.
Bishop Elias Elijah Changa, founder of Zambia's Missionary Ambassadors for Global Evangelism, drew on his prison ministry experience to call for humanitarian treatment of the elderly leader. "The administration of justice and the protection of human dignity must go together," he said. While not asserting Lee's innocence, he noted that detention poses severe hardships for the elderly and requested lawful alternatives such as bail or medical accommodation. "We are asking that the fairness, dignity, and universal rights owed to everyone be extended equally to him," he stated.
The assembly concluded with a joint statement demanding that South Korea cease using religious groups as political tools, uphold the presumption of innocence for Lee, and grant his bail request. Organizers emphasized that the issues raised are a "grave warning signal" for religious freedom worldwide, pledging continued solidarity with international human rights organizations. The event underscored growing international concern over the erosion of religious liberties, a trend that could have far-reaching implications for global religious communities and the principle of church-state separation.
