In the shadow of gleaming skyscrapers and a bustling democracy, a dark chapter in South Korea’s history is currently unfolding.

On September 8, 2025, just two days after meeting with Charlie Kirk at Build Up Korea — an event similar in style and purpose to Turning Point USA’s signature events here in the United States — Pastor Son Hyun-bo was arrested and imprisoned by the South Korean government.

His crime? Preaching from the pulpit, organizing prayer rallies, and daring to critique politicians in sermons that touched on moral issues like anti-discrimination laws and Biblical marriage.

This is clearly Christian persecution cloaked in the language of “election law violations.” It echoes the tyrannical playbooks of communist regimes past. And it is a stark reminder that the forces arrayed against Christianity are global, insidious, and relentless.

Pastor Son, the 63-year-old leader of Segero Church in Busan, is no radical agitator. He’s a man of unyielding faith who transformed a tiny, struggling, rural congregation of 20 members into a thriving megachurch with over 4,000 weekly attendees. Starting in 1993, he baptized around 1,000 souls annually for more than 15 years. During his military service in the 1980s under a dictatorial regime, he endured brutal beatings for insisting on Sunday worship, yet evangelized his entire Special Forces unit that he served in, earning the nickname “Special Forces Pastor.” Even amid COVID-19 lockdowns in 2021, he defied government bans, holding outdoor services to preserve the right to gather in faith.

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But Pastor Son’s boldness extended beyond the sanctuary. He organized massive “Save Korea” prayer rallies, including a 2024 event that drew over a million participants online and in person, decrying threats to religious freedom and national values. In 2025, during elections for Busan’s education superintendent and the presidency, Son’s sermons and events addressed candidates’ stances on issues dear to Christians.

Prosecutors twisted these into “illegal electioneering,” citing the use of microphones, YouTube uploads, and even hymns as evidence of “disguised rallies.” The arrest warrant, issued by Judge Eom Sung-hwan on September 9, absurdly claimed a “flight risk” for a man who’s lived openly in Busan for three decades, cooperated with investigations, and left all his sermons publicly online.

This isn’t an isolated miscarriage of justice — it’s a calculated assault on religious liberty.

South Korea’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion under Article 20, and international covenants like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protect against arbitrary detention and suppression of faith. Yet here we see a pastor jailed for what amounts to moral commentary, while pro-North Korea activists have received leniency from the same judiciary.

Conservative leaders like Han Dong-hoon, Na Kyung-won, Kim Moon-soo, and Choi Jae-hyung have decried it as excessive, political retaliation, and a threat to democracy. The General Assembly of Presbyterian Churches in Korea called it a “grave situation that threatens the freedom of religion.” Pastor Son’s real offense? Criticizing leftist President Lee Jae-myung and standing firm against policies that erode Christian values.

Enter Charlie Kirk, whose tragic assassination just days after his visit to South Korea leaves his mission unfinished. On September 6 and 7, Kirk headlined the “Build Up Korea” event, rallying thousands of young Koreans to defend freedom and faith in a nation where Christianity comprises about 25% of the population. Backstage, he met Pastor Son, who had organized massive protests against a pro-trans bill and faced government raids for his activism.

Kirk promised that if Son were arrested, he’d alert President Donald Trump and mobilize America against this “weaponization” of law against Bible-believing Christians. In his speech, Kirk warned: “If you don’t focus on the second thing — making sure you can spread Jesus — then we will all be sharing the Gospel from a prison cell one day!”

Kirk’s words were prophetic. This is the communist tactic in action: ostracize Christians by painting them as threats to the state; characterize them as “others” who disrupt social harmony; terrorize them through raids, arrests, and imprisonment; and normalize that terror until dissent vanishes. We’ve seen it in Mao’s China, Stalin’s Russia, and now creeping into South Korea under a president cozying up to Beijing and Pyongyang. The Left doesn’t debate faith; it silences it, turning pulpits into crime scenes and prayers into indictments.

American Christians, this is our wakeup call. We’re in a revival moment, but revival without resolve is fleeting. We must channel Kirk’s unfinished work: amplify Pastor Son’s plight, pressure South Korea through diplomatic channels, and support organizations like the Free Press Foundation that expose such injustices. Petition your representatives to condemn this; pray for Son’s release; and demand that President Lee reverse course before South Korea slides further into authoritarianism.

Pastor Rob McCoy of Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks, and Pastor Stephen Martin of Vintage Church in Harker Heights, Texas, just returned from a visit to Segero Church, where they encouraged leaders to stand strong, speak out, and not go silently into persecution. They are seeking to carry out Charlie Kirk’s mission, which he had promised to return and complete. He would have undoubtedly done so had he not been martyred. These courageous pastors are working to draw attention to this unfinished mission of Charlie, protect Christian freedom in South Korea, and warn a slumbering church that we must not be silent.

After all, the church isn’t a bystander in history, it’s the bulwark against tyranny. As Charlie urged, put Jesus first, but fight for the freedom to do so. Pastor Son languishes in a cell for preaching truth; let’s ensure his suffering ignites a global stand. South Korea, turn back from this persecution. The world is watching, and the God of justice will not be mocked.

Daniel Hayworth is the Lead Pastor of Vintage Church Harker Heights near Fort Hood, Texas, where he lives with his wife and four children.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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