Unlikely Alliances in Defense of Mother Han (82)

Leftwing advocacy group forms strategic alliances and points out treatment of Mother Han as warning against religious persecution and abuse of state power in South Korea and japan

See also Mother Han: Prosecutors’ Narrative Hard to Prove

See also It Began with One Flower But Became a Big Field

See also Gingrich Pressures Seoul to Free Mother Han (82)

See also SKorea’s Polarization Shapes Views of Mother Han

See also Asia Today Editorial: “Avoid Detention of Clergy!”

On 15^th November The Center for Political Innovation (CPI) published a well-written article on its news page titled “Persecution of Peace Church Intensifies in Japan and South Korea”. The piece by Philip High presents a forceful condemnation of what it characterizes as an escalating, coordinated campaign of political repression against the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

At the center of the narrative is Hak Ja Han – referred to by followers as the “Mother of Peace” or “Mother Han” – whose arrest, detention, and alleged mistreatment in South Korea are portrayed as emblematic of a broader assault on religious freedom. Drawing upon testimony from supporters, international political figures, and human rights advocates, the article argues that Mother Han’s treatment represents not merely legal overreach but a model of “lawfare”: the weaponization of judicial and administrative systems to destroy minority religious communities and their leadership.

The article places this crisis within a transnational frame. The dissolution order issued against the Family Federation in Japan is depicted not as an isolated legal dispute but as an extension of the same ideological persecution that, in the authors’ view, has targeted Mother Han in South Korea. These two developments together – South Korean prosecution and Japanese judicial dissolution – are described as an existential threat compelling Family Federation leaders to flee to the United States for safety.

Through testimonies from prominent American conservatives, such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, alongside commentary by CPI founder Caleb Maupin, the article places the struggle over Mother Han’s treatment within a global discourse on human rights, religious liberty, and the use of state power.

In its concluding call to action, the article presents this situation as a watershed moment for religious freedom worldwide. Echoing Rev. Demian Dunkley of the Family Federation in USA, it urges broad international mobilization, warning that the violation of fundamental rights in these cases carries implications for all minority faiths. The article thus functions not only as reporting but also as advocacy – seeking to galvanize public opinion, frame the conflict in moral terms, and position the Family Federation as a victim of systemic oppression.

According to the site of the publisher – The Center for Political Innovation (CPI) –  the organization is “a sociopolitical education project and community of solidarity […] deeply aligned with an optimistic, pro-growth, anti-imperialist vision.”

At first glance, CPI is an anti-imperialist, left-wing, pro-state, pro-growth socialist organization. So it certainly looks strange that they would publish an article quoting prominent Republicans like Mike Pompeo and Newt Gingrich as well as conservative religious-freedom advocates.

But when you zoom out and look at CPI’s actual political method, it turns out that CPI routinely aligns with non-left groups on single-issue anti-imperialist or civil-liberties causes.

Even though CPI is left-wing, they have a long-standing pattern of forming temporary or “united front” alliances with very ideologically different groups, including libertarians, Christian right figures, and anti-war Republicans.

So CPI using Pompeo or Gingrich to bolster a narrative is not ideological alignment – it seems more like a rhetorical alliance around a specific issue: “religious persecution” and “abuse of state power”.

It appears that CPI doesn’t fit neatly into standard left-right categories. Its “Innovationist” ideology combines left-wing economic ideas (public ownership, strong state) with a pro-growth, pro-technology outlook, and a somewhat unorthodox anti-imperialist posture. This makes it attractive to a certain segment disillusioned with both neoliberalism and traditional Marxism.

According to CPI, its innovationism is not only pro-growth, pro-state, and anti-imperialist, but also spiritually eclectic – deriving ideas from a broad and diverse range of sources. In fact, CPI often praises Christianity, Confucianism, and “pro-family” traditions.

In addition, CPI is supportive of “peace diplomats” who push US-North Korea or US-Russia reconciliation CPI has a documented admiration for figures who engage in diplomacy with North Korea, religious or otherwise.

Hak Ja Han fits several CPI themes, e.g. its advocacy of Korean reunification. CPI has always been sympathetic to North Korea’s stance on reunification, and they praise figures who help facilitate US-North Korea diplomacy.

CPI appears to frequently elevate religious leaders whom they view as resisting US liberal secularism or Western geopolitical agendas. And Mother Han is such a leader.

Innovationism talks a lot about the danger of “neoliberal states crushing nonconforming groups”.

Thus, CPI placing Hak Ja Han within an anti-imperialist or anti-state-abuse narrative is ideologically consistent for them, even if the Family Federation is, culturally, viewed as a conservative movement.

The CPI article employs a layered rhetorical strategy that merges political critique, moral appeal, and human-rights framing. At its core, the piece positions Mother Han as both a symbolic and literal victim of political abuse, grounding its argument in vivid descriptions of her alleged treatment during detention. By emphasizing her age, physical frailty, and lifetime record of law-abiding citizenship, the article constructs a moral contrast between Mother Han’s personal character and what it presents as the state’s disproportionate, degrading response. This narrative tactic reinforces the claim that her prosecution is not grounded in legitimate legal concerns but in ideological hostility toward the Family Federation and its influence.

The emotional intensity of the article is heightened through detailed accounts of Mother Han’s conditions in custody. The emphasis on lack of heating, inadequate ventilation, the absence of a wheelchair or cane, and the requirement to wash a single set of clothes underscores the argument that her treatment amounts to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. These descriptions serve two functions. First, they support the claim that South Korea’s actions constitute human-rights violations. Second, they dramatize the stakes of the conflict to mobilize sympathy and solidarity from an international audience.

A second major theme in the CPI article is the portrayal of transnational persecution. By linking South Korea’s prosecution of Mother Han with Japan’s dissolution order against the Family Federation, the article suggests a broader regional trend: the use of legal tools to suppress religious minorities and silence ideological dissent. The authors highlight the Japanese government’s reinterpretation of the Religious Corporations Act and the invocation of “mind control” theories in court as evidence of judicial bias. Whether or not one accepts these claims, the rhetorical strategy positions Japan and South Korea’s legal systems as aligned in a broader, coordinated hostility toward the Family Federation.

This transnational framing also serves a strategic purpose: it elevates the conflict from a domestic legal matter to a global human-rights crisis, thereby inviting international scrutiny. The invocation of statements by Pompeo, Gingrich, and Maupin reinforces this global dimension. Their comments frame the issue as a betrayal of democratic principles and religious liberty, thus situating the Family Federation’s plight within a larger ideological struggle over state power and freedom of belief.

The article’s reliance on political figures from the United States – especially those associated with conservative causes – also reflects a particular political alignment. CPI founder Caleb Maupin, while a left-wing populist, joins voices from the political right in a rare cross-ideological convergence. This indicates the article’s aim to appeal broadly to critics of government overreach, regardless of party affiliation, and underscores how the story of Mother Han’s detention is positioned as a rallying point for diverse movements concerned about civil liberties.

A significant element of the article’s strategy is its use of moral exemplars and martyrdom narrative. The reported suicide of a Korean church leader following harsh interrogation is presented as tragic evidence of the destructive effects of the prosecution. This rhetorical choice reinforces the claim that the state’s actions are not merely legalistic but fundamentally destructive to human dignity and life.

Finally, the article concludes with a call to action, warning that the persecution of Mother Han foreshadows potential oppression of other minority faiths. This closing argument transforms the narrative from a specific case study into a universalist warning: that unchecked state power threatens both religious liberty and democratic values.

See also It Began with One Flower But Became a Big Field

See also Mother Han: Prosecutors’ Narrative Hard to Prove

See also Gingrich Pressures Seoul to Free Mother Han (82)

See also SKorea’s Polarization Shapes Views of Mother Han

See also Asia Today Editorial: “Avoid Detention of Clergy!”

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: Demonstration in support of Mother Han in front of the South Korean embassy in San Francisco, USA November 2025. Photo: Georges Tegha

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See also Mother Han Briefly Released for Medical Reasons

See also Message of Religious Unity from Detention Cell

See also Over 50 Days in Vigil Outside Detention Center

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