SEOUL: International rights organisations have raised concerns over freedom of religion and expression in South Korea, calling on authorities to ensure that legal and administrative measures against religious minorities remain neutral, proportionate and consistent with international human rights obligations.
Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), CAP Liberté de Conscience (CAP LC), FOREF, CESNUR and Bitter Winter held a press conference at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club on August 7 to discuss freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression in South Korea.
The organisations expressed particular concern over the pretrial detention of 95-year-old Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee, raising questions about proportionality, humanitarian considerations and due process.
They also called for consideration of the case of 83-year-old Hak-ja Han Moon of the Family Federation and urged South Korean authorities to ensure equal protection of fundamental rights.
The groups said the concerns formed part of a wider pattern involving religious minorities in South Korea. They also highlighted reported harassment and official scrutiny involving Segero Church in Busan, even after its pastor, Son Hyun-bo, was released from detention.
The conference also discussed conscientious objection, public opposition to a mosque project in Daegu and religious accommodation in educational institutions.
HRWF said it had documented the imprisonment of hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses in South Korea for conscientious objection over several decades. Although alternative civilian service was subsequently introduced, critics have argued that the system remains punitive because it requires 36 months of service in correctional facilities, compared with a shorter period of regular military service.
Opening the conference, HRWF Associate Director Hans Noot said freedom of religion and expression were fundamental to democratic society.
He stressed that the conference was not intended to defend a particular theology or religious movement but to uphold the principle that fundamental rights should apply equally to all.
CAP Liberté de Conscience President Thierry Valle questioned whether the detention of a 95-year-old person before trial was consistent with South Korea’s obligations under international law.
Referring to South Korea’s ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture, Valle stressed the importance of the presumption of innocence and respect for human dignity.
He also pointed to international precedents involving elderly religious figures where alternative measures, including bail or house arrest, had been used instead of imprisonment.
FOREF Germany Executive Director Michael Langhans questioned whether pretrial detention was necessary in Lee’s case given the evidence cited by prosecutors. He also raised concerns over whether the case had been handled neutrally and without characterising the religious community through terms such as “sect” or “cult”.
CESNUR Deputy Director Márk Nemes said continued pressure on Shincheonji could have consequences beyond South Korea because the movement has congregations in numerous countries.
He referred to recent academic research conducted among Shincheonji congregations in Europe, Argentina and Australia, which he said indicated growing hostility towards the religious movement.
Nemes argued that the rights to freedom of religion and expression protected under Articles 18 and 19 of the ICCPR should also be considered in assessing the broader impact of the case.
CESNUR Managing Director and Bitter Winter Editor-in-Chief Massimo Introvigne said South Korea had crossed a “worrying line” by arresting Chairman Lee.
He argued that international standards concerning the treatment of elderly detainees should be taken into account and said alternative measures such as house arrest could be considered for a 95-year-old defendant accused of a non-violent offence.
Introvigne also questioned the legal basis and scope of the charges, arguing that the case appeared to involve ordinary political participation by members of a religious minority.
The participating organisations called on South Korean authorities, the media and the international community to closely examine developments surrounding religious minorities with particular attention to due process, proportionality and equal protection of fundamental rights.
At the conclusion of the press conference, the participating scholars signed an official letter calling on the South Korean government to release Chairman Lee from custody.
