Tears After 13 Months of Prayer

Tears reflect a year of prayer, interfaith solidarity, and hope for justice for Mother Han

In a commentary published in the South Korean daily Segye Ilbo on 20^th October 2026, religion correspondent Jeong Seong-su (정성수) reflects on the emotional response among Family Federation members to Hak Ja Han’s release on bail, highlighting interfaith solidarity, her decades of international peace initiatives, and the hopes of followers who continue to pray for her recovery and a fair trial.

See also Mother Han: A Cycle of Prosecution Without End

The decision to grant bail to Hak Ja Han (한학자) – also called Mother Han – head of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), prompted an emotional response among many of her followers, according to Jeong. In his opinion piece, he looks beyond the legal implications of the Seoul High Court’s ruling to consider what the decision means to believers who have spent more than a year praying for their elderly leader’s health and awaiting developments in her case.

Entitled “Mother Han Granted Bail: Tears of Those Who Sustained Her Through Prayer”, the commentary does not dispute that the legal proceedings remain unresolved. Rather, Jeong focuses on the human and religious dimensions of the decision, describing the relief experienced by followers while acknowledging their disappointment that strict restrictions will prevent them from freely meeting Mother Han (83). He also places the present situation within the context of her longstanding efforts to promote peace across religious, national, and ideological divisions.

More than a year of prayer and waiting

Jeong begins by emphasizing that the bail decision, announced on 19^th October, was not an acquittal. Mother Han’s appeal against her two-year prison sentence will continue, and the question of her alleged involvement in unlawful acitivities remains before the courts. Nevertheless, the possibility of continuing medical treatment outside detention brought considerable relief to those who had been anxiously following her situation.

More than a year had passed since Mother Han was taken into pretrial detention in September 2025. Although the enforcement of her detention had been suspended on health grounds, enabling her to receive hospital treatment, uncertainty about her condition and the outcome of the proceedings had continued to weigh heavily on her followers.

Jeong notes that the Seoul High Court’s 13th Criminal Division granted bail after considering Mother Han’s health, the progress of the case, and the extent to which evidence had been collected. The court required a cash deposit of 200 million won, restricted her residence to the hospital where she is receiving treatment, and prohibited contact with almost everyone except a narrowly defined group, including medical personnel, lawyers, and caregivers.

These restrictions mean that the decision does not allow Mother Han to resume her ordinary activities. Jeong acknowledges the disappointment among followers who had hoped to visit her and embrace her after such a prolonged period of uncertainty.

An unexpected expression of interfaith solidarity

One of the most striking details in Jeong’s commentary concerns a Catholic peace ambassador who had been praying for Mother Han.

According to an associate quoted by Jeong, the ambassador telephoned after hearing the news of the bail decision. She explained that she had been praying for Mother Han every morning at dawn in a Catholic church and that the announcement had moved her to tears.

For Jeong, this account illustrates how concern for Mother Han’s health has extended beyond the boundaries of the Family Federation itself. The participation of someone from a different religious tradition suggests that the emotions surrounding the case cannot be understood solely in terms of the organization’s own membership.

He also describes how followers continued their prayers in different circumstances. Some waited outside the detention center, while others offered their support from distant countries. The strict conditions attached to bail, however, have prevented some from realizing their hope of meeting Mother Han personally.

Jeong interprets these reactions as the expression of a community that has endured a long period of anxiety and now hopes for further relief. He acknowledges that some believers may regard the court’s decision as an answer to their prayers, while distinguishing this religious interpretation from the court’s legal reasoning.

A record of international peace initiatives

The commentary then broadens its perspective, connecting the emotional response to Mother Han’s release with her record of international peace activities.

Jeong argues that bringing together people separated by religion, nationality, and ideology requires sustained effort and dedication. He points to Mother Han’s travels around the world to promote cooperation and dialogue.

In 2018, she delivered a keynote address at the Africa Summit in Dakar, Senegal. She also helped lead efforts to organize the Asia-Pacific Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal, where peace and cooperation were central themes.

Jeong further recalls two notable encounters involving Mother Han and her husband, Sun Myung Moon (문선명 – 1920-2012). In 1990, the couple met Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow. The following year, they visited North Korea and held talks with its leader, Kim Il-sung (김일성 – 1912-1994).

Jeong highlights the ideological significance of these encounters: although the movement opposed communism, its leaders nevertheless sought direct engagement with leaders of communist states. In his account, these meetings exemplified an effort to pursue dialogue across deep political divisions.

He also cites the establishment of the Women’s Federation for World Peace and the Interreligious Federation for World Peace as institutional foundations for initiatives emphasizing women’s participation and cooperation among different faiths.

Nobel Peace Prize nomination and the importance of a fair trial

Jeong adds that Hak Ja Han (한학자) was nominated for consideration for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, although she did not receive the award. In April, media outlets reported that Ján Figeľ, the former European Union Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief, had nominated her. The reported grounds included interreligious dialogue, peace on the Korean Peninsula, and humanitarian cooperation.

The final part of the commentary returns to the legal proceedings. Jeong argues that the questions raised by Mother Han’s defense, including the admissibility of testimony and opportunities for cross-examination, should be examined thoroughly during the appeal. He expresses the hope that the court will scrutinize both the allegations and the evidence carefully.

He also cautions the media against allowing criticism of specific allegations to become a negative portrayal of Mother Han’s entire life or of the religious convictions of her followers. In his view, determining legal responsibility should not mean abandoning respect for human dignity.

Concluding with a reference to the Analects (논어), an ancient Chinese text collecting the sayings, teachings, and discussions of the philosopher Confucius (공자) and his disciples, Jeong recalls the observation that the enduring greenness of pine and cypress becomes apparent only when winter arrives. He hopes that Mother Han’s lifelong commitment to peace will likewise remain steadfast through adversity.

For Jeong, the tears shed by followers on 19^th October embodied more than immediate relief. They represented a year of prayer, uncertainty, and perseverance. The bail decision has not settled the legal questions surrounding Mother Han, but it has allowed her supporters to turn their attention toward her recovery while continuing to hope for a fair judicial outcome.

See also Mother Han: A Cycle of Prosecution Without End

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: Young members of the Family Federation at a prayer vigil outside Seoul Detention Center in October 2025. Screenshot from video by PeaceTV.

Related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Mother Han: The Dangers of Guilt by Position

Related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Mother Han: Beyond One Trial – the Wider Stakes

Related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: At Issue: Religions Taking Reality Seriously

Also related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Religion Between Engagement and Withdrawal

Also related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: State Failure and Non-State Peace Projects

More, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Detention: Harsh Cell Conditions Spark Outcry

And more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Official Statement on Recent Media Coverage

Also related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Defense Challenges Core Claims of Indictment

And also related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Unificationism Emerging as a World Religion

More, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Decline of Family Values Creates Social Crisis

And more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Unificationism, Industry, and Cold War Survival

And more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Movement Promoting Family as National Solution

Yet more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: “Church Closure” Risks in South Korea’s New Bill

Still more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Mother Han Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize 2026

Also related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Democratic Party’s Assault on Family Federation

And even more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Mother Han (82) in Poor Health in Damp, Cold Cell

And still more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Korean Crisis: “True Democracy Must Serve Heaven”

And yet more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Faith Leaders Protest State Assault on Religion

And more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Trump Raises Alarm Over Church Raids in Korea

Even more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Mike Pompeo Calls Probe of Co-Founder “Lawfare”

Still more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer:  Korean Faith Crackdown: USA Urged to Confront It

Yet more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Korean Bribery Scandal: Media Clears Federation

Related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Lawfare: State Uses Legal System in War on Faith

More, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Shocked Author: “Japan Ignores Basics of Justice”

 Still more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Legal Inconsistencies A Blow to Democracy

Even more, related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Japan: Court Accused of Using Speculation

Also related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: MEXT’s Legal Spin and “Dissolution at All Costs”

Also related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: UN Report: Japan’s Lawfare Against Faith Minority

And also related to tears reflecting a year of prayer: Protesting No Transparency in Closed-Door Trial