On August 13, 2026, seven Christian organizations from South Korea and abroad convened the first Joint Assembly of World Pastors, drawing approximately 3,000 pastors from major countries in both online and offline formats. The assembly sharply criticized what it described as violations of religious freedom and the undermining of the separation of church and state in the Republic of Korea.
Rev. Im Young-woong, senior pastor of Saehimang Church of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, opened the proceedings by framing the debate over dissolving religious corporations within an international context. He cited the Tokyo District Court's dissolution order against the former Unification Church in March 2025, finalized by Japan's Supreme Court in June 2026, warning that the practical impact on religious communities—loss of tax benefits, liquidation of assets—is substantial. Rev. Im pointed to Article 38 of Korea's Civil Act, which permits revocation of a corporation's establishment permit for "acts that harm the public interest," questioning who decides what harms the public interest. He invoked the 2020 case where the Seoul Metropolitan Government revoked the permit of an incorporated association linked to Shincheonji and initiated similar proceedings against HWPL, as well as the December 2025 presidential order to review the dissolution of domestic religious organizations. Rev. Im stressed that investigating individual criminal allegations is distinct from targeting an entire religious community, and he warned that "social unpopularity" must not become grounds for dissolution, citing Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Rev. Vitaly Kirillovich Vlasenko, General Secretary of the Russian Evangelical Alliance, presented on the theme "Public opinion cannot be a verdict." He argued that legal standards should not change based on social hatred, noting that hundreds of thousands condemning someone cannot justify a guilty verdict before a court judgment. He referenced the 2020 situation in Daegu when Shincheonji was linked to a COVID-19 outbreak, leading to a national petition demanding forced dissolution that surpassed 500,000 signatures within two days and later exceeded one million. Rev. Vlasenko highlighted that the Supreme Court of Korea ultimately acquitted Chairman Lee Man-hee of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, though upheld other charges. He emphasized that a court examines evidence for each specific charge, distinguishing guilt from innocence, unlike public opinion.
Bishop Elias Elijah Changa, founder and president of Zambia's Missionary Ambassadors for Global Evangelism (MAGE), addressed the humanitarian aspects of the detention of Chairman Lee Man-hee, who is 95 years old. Drawing from his prison ministry experience, Bishop Changa affirmed that detention causes especially severe hardship for the elderly. He urged authorities to consider lawful alternatives such as bail, residence restriction, or medical accommodation, while clarifying that the demand is not for special treatment but for the fairness and dignity owed to everyone.
The assembly concluded with the adoption of a Joint Statement, which demanded that the government and political circles cease using religions as tools of political strife, that the judiciary uphold the presumption of innocence and halt trials by public opinion, and that the court grant bail to the elderly leader. The organizers emphasized that these cases are not limited to one denomination but signal a broader crisis for religious freedom in South Korea, and they pledged to continue international solidarity with human-rights organizations and churches worldwide.
