Pastor Hyun-bo Son of Busan’s Segyero Church has been held in custody for months after what many see as a thinly justified application of South Korea’s election laws, leaving his wife, children and congregation stunned and scrambling for answers. The CBN report on his case captures the fear: a pastor who ministered to thousands is now behind bars while his family waits for justice.
Authorities detained Pastor Son after prosecutors accused him of violating the Public Official Election Act by interviewing a candidate during a church service and posting the footage online, moves the state says amounted to premature campaigning. Officials argued the seriousness of the alleged violation warranted an arrest warrant, and prosecutors painted his actions as a possible threat to the integrity of upcoming races.
Shockingly, Son’s family says they only learned of his arrest through the press and have been largely barred from meaningful contact, fueling concerns that this is more than a routine legal matter and edging into the realm of political intimidation. Supporters say he hasn’t been publicly seen since entering a police station for a pretrial hearing, and that his confinement is being justified on dubious grounds like an alleged “flight risk.”
A court dismissed his detention-review request in late September, a decision that kept him behind bars while prosecutors continued to build a case that includes allegations of leading a “victory prayer” and urging congregants to vote a certain way. Prosecutors have even sought a substantial prison term, an escalation that should alarm anyone who believes religious leaders should be free to minister without fear of criminal prosecution.
Leading opposition figures in South Korea’s People Power Party rightly smelled a political motive and called the arrest an attack on religious liberty, visiting his church and declaring this is not an isolated incident but a warning shot across the bow of every pastor and Christian citizen. When mainstream political leaders feel compelled to defend a pastor from government overreach, you know the situation has crossed a dangerous line.
Make no mistake: this is about more than one sermon or one video on YouTube — it’s about whether democracies will allow the state to chill religious speech by criminalizing pastoral expression. Pastor Son’s lawyer argues the interview was within his rights as a minister, and conservative Americans should see a troubling parallel when a government treats ordinary ministry as a prosecutable offense.
Hardworking, faith-minded Americans must pay attention and speak up when a fellow believer’s pulpit becomes a courtroom target, because the same erosion of liberty overseas can find its way here if left unchecked. Pray for Pastor Son and his family, pressure your leaders to defend religious freedom everywhere, and remember that silence from the faithful only emboldens officials who would convert pastoral influence into criminal liability.
