Religious Liberty Under Fire in South Korea

South Korea’s Religious Liberty Crisis

Authoritarian Shadows Over Seoul as Sacred Spaces Are Raided and Rights Violated

See also Trump Raises Alarm Over Church Raids in Korea

See also Co-Founder, 82, Questioned 9 Hours by Prosecutors

See also Korean Faith Crackdown: USA Urged to Confront It

See also Korean Bribery Scandal: Media Clears Federation

See also Raids Blur Line Between Justice and Politics

See also Heavy-Handed Raid on Sacred Sites Condemned

See also Scholar Sounds Alarm: State Raiding the Sacred

See also Raids as Political Spectacle and Media Trials

See also Religious Freedom: 330 Faith Leaders Speak Up

See also Yonhap: Repeated Allegations Create Public Bias

In his compelling Washington Times op-ed 5^th August titled “A new religious liberty crisis in Korea”, renowned sociologist of religion Dr. Massimo Introvigne presents a sobering warning: South Korea, a country often praised for its democracy and human rights record, is now witnessing a disturbing escalation in state interference in religious affairs – especially targeting conservative religious movements.

His article frames this not merely as a domestic legal issue but as part of a broader and more ominous international trend where governments, emboldened by media support and political motivations, undermine religious freedom under the guise of rooting out “cults”.

At the heart of Introvigne’s argument is the case of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formerly known as the Unification Church. A criminal investigation involving a former executive accused of bribery and misusing funds has triggered sweeping state action.

Although the organization insists it was not institutionally involved in these alleged personal misdeeds, prosecutors have carried out aggressive raids on the Federation’s main sacred grounds and even the home of its leader, Dr. Hak Ja Han. These actions, particularly the travel ban placed on Dr. Han – known globally as the “Mother of Peace” – are portrayed by Introvigne as excessive and politically charged.

What makes the situation alarming, according to Dr. Introvigne, is that this is not an isolated case. Other prominent conservative churches, such as the Yoido Full Gospel Church, have also faced raids.

These events, he argues, reveal a pattern: the targeting of religious bodies aligned with conservative, pro-American, or traditional family values. This signals a broader agenda – one that could eventually endanger the religious liberty of all groups deemed ideologically inconvenient by the current political elite.

Introvigne connects this crackdown in South Korea to global ideological shifts. He suggests that Korean authorities may be emulating controversial legal measures from France and Japan – countries that have introduced “anti-cult” laws widely criticized by international legal scholars for violating fundamental freedoms.

Even more concerning is the claim that Korean anti-religious policies have been influenced by China, whose government is known for its aggressive suppression of religious and spiritual movements perceived as threatening to the Communist Party’s ideology.

The Italian scholar writes,

“The immediate cause of what is happening in Korea is the new administration’s intent to punish former President Yoon and whomever offered him support. The remote cause, however, is the growing influence in the country of a movement targeting “cults” that dates back to the 1950s, when groups such as the Unification Church were established and quickly became influential. Scholars have noted that these campaigns have been fueled by China, which is hostile to conservative and anti-Communist religious movements, including the Unification Church. Evidence has emerged of a sustained and decade-long cooperation between Korean anti-cultists and their Chinese counterparts, who operate under the supervision of the Communist Party.”

If true, this raises the prospect that authoritarian models are beginning to influence policies in democratic states under the guise of public safety or reform.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the current crisis, as highlighted in the article, is the continued practice of forced deprogramming. Introvigne recalls the harrowing stories of individuals kidnapped by family members or anti-cult groups, held in confinement, and subjected to psychological pressure until they recant their beliefs.

This practice, which had been widespread in Japan until its courts began ruling against it in 2015, persists in South Korea with tacit judicial tolerance. The international human rights community has documented thousands of such cases, some ending in psychological trauma or even death. That South Korea – an advanced democracy – remains a stronghold of such a practice is a severe indictment of its human rights regime.

Beyond the legal and ideological dimensions, Introvigne also emphasizes the symbolic harm inflicted by the state’s actions. The raids on churches were not only legally questionable, he argues, but also culturally and spiritually disrespectful. Sacred sites were treated as crime scenes; respected religious leaders were subjected to humiliating scrutiny.

Such actions appear designed not only to investigate potential wrongdoing but to delegitimize and stigmatize entire faith communities. The public nature of these raids, often conducted with media present, suggests they may be intended as much for spectacle as for justice.

In presenting this analysis, Introvigne underscores a pattern seen in many other democracies: unpopular or minority groups are first targeted under vague or stigmatizing labels – like “cult” – which allows governments to enact sweeping measures with minimal public resistance.

Introvigne points out,

“Rumors that other conservative churches and religious movements may soon be targeted continue to circulate. Activists who seem to have the ear of the new Korean administration propose to introduce new statutes based on laws existing in France and Japan (and widely criticized by international religious liberty activists and legal scholars), allowing for the swift dissolution of movements labeled as ‘cults’.”

Once this legal and political machinery is in place, however, it rarely stops with the original targets. Larger and more mainstream religious groups eventually come under scrutiny, especially when their values clash with those in power. The slippery slope is clear: today’s “cult” can quickly become tomorrow’s church.

Introvigne’s article ultimately serves as a crucial call to vigilance for defenders of religious liberty. It urges international observers, legal scholars, and human rights advocates not to overlook what may appear to be domestic controversies but are in fact part of a global struggle over freedom of belief and conscience. South Korea, long seen as a democratic model in Asia, risks damaging its reputation if it continues down this path.

What is needed now, as the article concludes implicitly, is firm resistance from civil society, religious leaders, and international institutions. Korea’s democratic institutions must uphold the fundamental principles of religious freedom, even – or especially – when doing so is politically inconvenient.

The suppression of any faith, regardless of its popularity or ideology, is a dangerous breach of democratic norms. Left unchallenged, it could herald an era in which governments, not individuals, decide which beliefs are acceptable.

See also Trump Raises Alarm Over Church Raids in Korea

See also Co-Founder, 82, Questioned 9 Hours by Prosecutors

See also Korean Faith Crackdown: USA Urged to Confront It

See also Korean Bribery Scandal: Media Clears Federation

See also Raids Blur Line Between Justice and Politics

See also Heavy-Handed Raid on Sacred Sites Condemned

See also Scholar Sounds Alarm: State Raiding the Sacred

See also Raids as Political Spectacle and Media Trials

See also Religious Freedom: 330 Faith Leaders Speak Up

See also Yonhap: Repeated Allegations Create Public Bias

Text: Knut Holdhus

Featured image above: Dr. Massimo Introvigne, here speaking at a conference on religious freedom in Geneva, Switzerland on 16th June 2025. Screenshot

Related to religious liberty under fire: Japan Following the Way of China

Also related to religious liberty under fire: Warning of Threat from CCP Fearing Korean Unity

And also related to religious liberty under fire: Japan’s Dissolution Case Echoes China’s Playbook

Also related to religious liberty under fire: Communists of China Exploiting Assassination

And also related to religious liberty under fire: “Lawyers Lying and Shaming Japan” for 50 Years

More, related to religious liberty under fire: Lawfare: State Uses Legal System in War on Faith

Also related to religious liberty under fire: Media/Legal Expert: Communism Behind Persecution

And more, related to religious liberty under fire: Militant Lawyers Dictate Government Policy

And more, related to religious liberty under fire: Media Helping Terrorist Reach His Goal

Related to religious liberty under fire: Kishida Administration Giving in to Terrorism

And more, related to religious liberty under fire: 12 Religious Freedom NGOs Denouncing Japan

Yet more, related to religious liberty under fire: Japanese Communists’ Final War

Still more, related to religious liberty under fire: Political and Social Activism behind Oppression

And yet more, related to religious liberty under fire: Opposition Inciting Regime to Excessive Steps

And still more, related to religious liberty under fire: Journalist Reveals Ugly Leftwing Conspiracy

And even more, related to religious liberty under fire: Gingrich: Kishida Joining Communist Campaign

Yet more, related to religious liberty under fire: The 3 Enemies of Religious Liberty

Still more, related to religious liberty under fire: Lawyer Exposes Dirty Leftwing Plot

And yet more, related to religious liberty under fire: Inhuman Government-Supported Mass Deprogramming

Yet more, related to religious liberty under fire: State and Media Creating “Today’s Non-Citizens”

Still more, related to religious liberty under fire: Japan Criticized for Glaring Rights Violations

And still more, related to religious liberty under fire: Bias: No Right to Respond for Religious Minority

And even more, related to religious liberty under fire: Collusion to Rob Minority of Its Rights

And still more, related to religious liberty under fire: New Admission by Top Japanese Communist

And yet more, related to religious liberty under fire: Two European Scholars Warning Japan