A new religious liberty crisis in Korea

OPINION:

Many have heard through media reports, which are not always correct, of a criminal investigation pending in South Korea involving a former executive of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly known as the Unification Church and still often referred to by that name).

He is accused of financial irregularities and donating luxury goods, including jewelry and designer handbags, to the former First Lady of Korea to secure her husband’s patronage, the now disgraced former President of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol.

While the Family Federation denies it was involved as an organization in what might have been personal initiatives of a rogue executive, a Special Prosecutor appointed to investigate has hit with military-style raids both the church’s main premises—and most sacred grounds—in Korea and the house of its leader, Dr. Hak Ja Han. She has been named a suspect in the case and placed under a travel ban.

What we are witnessing in Korea is a politically motivated crackdown on conservative religion raiding churches, such as the July 18th raid on the very famous Yoido Full Gospel Church one of the world’s largest and most famous Pentecostal congregations as well as earlier raids in May on the Saegero Church and in June the Woonjeong Chamjon Church – all conservative organizations.  Some Korean politicians have been influenced by both Japan and China, which, in different ways, actively promote the belief that religions advocating for conservative values - including the Family Federation, but not limited to it - are toxic and dangerous.

We see a second religious liberty crisis in Asia unfolding, paralleling Japan’s.

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.”

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. 

As the case of the Yoido Church demonstrates, this movement now targets all brands of religion perceived as conservative, pro-American, and defending traditional family values. 

As happened in Japan before the Supreme Court outlawed the practice in 2015, young adult members of some religious movements become victims of “forced conversion” or deprogramming. They are kidnapped by or on behalf of their parents, confined in apartments or motels, and bombarded with slanderous information against their religions. They are allowed to leave only if they agree to “deconvert” and write letters renouncing their membership in the religious organizations their parents disapprove of. 

A coalition opposing deprogramming has documented more than 6000 cases between Japan and Korea. Some ended tragically. Yet, Korea remains the only democratic country in the world where most courts still tolerate deprogramming. Japan’s courts for decades have turned a blind eye to faith breaking until Mr. Toru Goto, who was held confined and held captive for over 12 years, won his supreme court case, which sentenced the faith breakers to pay substantial damages and in essence outlawed deprogramming in 2015. Still, the problem may resurface in Japan and continue in Korea.

This raises serious religious liberty concerns. Both the Yoido Church and the Family Federation have complained that the raids have been unnecessarily harsh and spectacular, as if they were primarily conducted for the benefit of the media, showing little respect for their sacred places and internationally well-known religious leaders. They are both asking for apologies from the prosecutors for their total disregard for the sanctity of church sanctuaries. Dr. Han leads a global spiritual movement and a larger coalition promoting peace education worldwide. She is frequently referred to as the “Mother of Peace.” Preventing her from traveling based on vague charges severely damages her movement’s international activities and disrupts its normal operations.

Korea replicates a familiar pattern seen in other countries. First, measures limiting religious liberty are enforced against unpopular groups stigmatized as “cults,” gathering easy support from the media. Once established, legal provisions allowing the states to interfere in the internal organization of religious bodies, scrutinize their finances, and limit their right to collect donations and campaign on social issues with political ramifications are enforced against all religions, particularly those that the politicians in power do not like for whatever reason. Religions that dissent are threatened with dissolution or liquidation. 

The international freedom of religion community has watched with concern in the last few months the unfolding of a religious liberty crisis in Japan, where a court has rendered on March 25 a first-degree verdict dissolving the Family Federation and liquidating all assets (an appeal is pending), a campaign is ongoing targeting the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the request by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief that she may visit Japan to examine the situation has been ignored. A parallel and potentially even more serious crisis is now developing in Korea.

• Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist of religions, is the former Representative of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) for combating racism, xenophobia, and intolerance and discrimination against Christians and members of other religions.