On August 13, 2026, seven Christian organizations from South Korea and abroad, including the Council for Christian Mutual Growth, the Korea Christian Leaders Training Institute, the Pastors Alliance for Life and Human Rights, the Russian Evangelical Alliance, and the Thai Evangelical Alliance Association, held the '1st Joint Assembly of World Pastors' in Dallas, Texas. The assembly drew approximately 3,000 pastors from major countries, both online and in person, to sharply criticize the violations of religious freedom and the undermining of the separation of church and state in the Republic of Korea.
The event featured speakers from Russia, Zambia, and other nations, who addressed the international implications of the situation. Rev. Im Young-woong, senior pastor of Saehimang Church of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, warned about the dangers of dissolving religious corporations, drawing parallels to the recent dissolution order against the Unification Church in Japan. He questioned, "If the state can dissolve a single religious organization, exactly how far should that standard reach — and who can guarantee that the standard created today will not be applied to another church tomorrow?" Rev. Im also highlighted Article 38 of Korea's Civil Act, which permits revocation of a corporation's establishment permit for "acts that harm the public interest," and cited instances where this was applied to Shincheonji and HWPL during the COVID-19 pandemic. He stressed that "social unpopularity" should 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 a religion's popularity.
Rev. Vitaly Kirillovich Vlasenko, General Secretary of the Russian Evangelical Alliance, presented on "Public opinion cannot be a verdict." He argued that "the legal standard applied to a religion and its leader should not change simply because that religion has become an object of social hatred." He referenced the 2020 situation where Shincheonji was linked to COVID-19 outbreaks, leading to over a million signatures on a petition for its dissolution. He noted that the Supreme Court ultimately acquitted Chairman Lee Man-hee on charges of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, highlighting that "a court is not an institution that judges a person wholesale as a 'good person' or a 'bad person'; it is a place that examines the evidence for each specific charge and distinguishes guilt from innocence."
Bishop Elias Elijah Changa, founder of Missionary Ambassadors for Global Evangelism in Zambia, drew on his prison ministry experience to address the detention of the 95-year-old leader. He stated, "The administration of justice and the protection of human dignity must go together." While acknowledging that "age gives no one the right to stand above the law," he urged authorities to consider "lawful alternatives such as bail, residence restriction, or medical accommodation" to protect the life and humanity of the elderly detainee. He insisted, "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, signed by Christian leaders worldwide, demanding that the South Korean government and judiciary cease using specific religions as tools of political strife, uphold the presumption of innocence, and grant bail to the elderly leader. The organizers emphasized that these issues are not confined to one denomination but represent a grave warning for religious freedom across South Korea, and they pledged to continue their response in solidarity with international human-rights organizations.
