Guest post from our trusted source in South Korea – “Mr. Hoft, I strongly believe this is an issue that the American freedom movement must pay close attention to.”
South Korea Escalates Crackdown on Evangelical Leaders: From Billy Kim to Son Hyun-bo
SEOUL — South Korea’s Christian community is reeling from a rapid series of unprecedented state actions that many describe as a coordinated campaign of religious persecution. After prosecutors raided the home and ministry of Reverend Billy Kim — globally known as Billy Graham’s interpreter and longtime evangelical partner — a special prosecutor issued a summons for him. Only days later, authorities jailed Reverend Son Hyun-bo, senior pastor of Busan’s Saegero Church, on charges stemming from pastoral speech and online posts.
These moves come despite repeated warnings from President Donald Trump and his close allies, who have publicly voiced concern over mounting attacks on religious freedom in South Korea. Observers warn that the Lee Jae-myung government’s actions resemble authoritarian tactics designed to silence pro-American and conservative Christian voices.
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Billy Kim and the Legacy of Billy Graham
In July 2025, prosecutors raided the home of Reverend Kim Jang-hwan — better known worldwide as Billy Kim — and the headquarters of Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC Korea). The official pretext was vague “lobbying allegations.” No evidence was presented, yet biased media coverage immediately painted FEBC in a negative light.
Source: TV Chosun raid report.
Source: Christian Today Korea FEBC statement.
Billy Kim is more than a pastor. He is a living link between Korea and American evangelicalism. As Billy Graham’s interpreter at the historic 1973 Seoul Crusade, his voice carried the Gospel to over one million people at Yoido Plaza and millions more across Asia via radio. His lifelong friendship with Billy Graham extended to Franklin Graham, who in 2018 dedicated Billy Kim Hall in North Carolina. Billy Kim’s prominence was further underscored when he stood alongside world leaders at Graham’s 2018 funeral, attended by President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Founded in 1956, FEBC Korea has broadcast faith and freedom into North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union for nearly 70 years. Reverend Kim condemned the raids:
“FEBC has never once been subject to legal investigation since its founding. We had absolutely no connection to the alleged case, yet prosecutors pushed through an unjustified raid. No evidence was produced, yet biased media reporting has caused great damage.”
For many, targeting such a figure is a direct strike against the shared evangelical legacy that binds America and South Korea.
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Son Hyun-bo: From the Pulpit to a Jail Cell
Just days after Billy Kim was summoned by the special prosecutor, the state escalated its campaign. On September 8, 2025, the Busan District Court (Judge Um Seong-hwan) issued a pre-trial detention warrant for Reverend Son Hyun-bo, senior pastor of Saegero Church, after an eight-hour hearing. The rationale: “risk of flight.”
The charges stem not from violence or corruption, but from speech:
1. A video posted around the April 2 Busan superintendent of education by-election, where Son spoke with a candidate outside the official campaign window — labeled as “pre-campaigning.”
2. Sermons and prayer meetings in May where he expressed support for a presidential candidate, Kim Moon-soo — treated as an election law violation.
His defense counsel included Hwang Kyo-ahn, former prime minister and current opposition leader. Pastor Son warned before the hearing that the regime had captured courts, legislature, and broadcasters, and that imprisoning him would prove the country’s slide into total control. Hours later, the judge signed the warrant.
Source: Busan court warrant report
Saegero Church is not a fringe congregation. It has ties to Mors H. Tan, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice and a noted human-rights lawyer, who has spoken and shared testimony with this community. This gives the case clear international relevance.
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A Coordinated Pattern
The targeting of Reverend Billy Kim and Reverend Son Hyun-bo in such quick succession is no coincidence, critics argue. Just days after a special prosecutor summoned Billy Kim, authorities jailed Busan pastor Son Hyun-bo.
Both men represent outspoken evangelical communities, pro-American values, and conservative influence. By raiding FEBC and jailing a pastor for sermons and online speech, the state is sending a chilling message to churches nationwide: dissent will be punished with handcuffs and prison cells.
Observers note striking parallels to authoritarian playbooks: smear, raid, prosecute, and silence. That such methods are now being applied to Christian leaders in South Korea — a nation long hailed as a stronghold of faith and liberty in Asia — has shocked international allies.
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Why This Matters Beyond Korea
President Trump and his circle have repeatedly raised concerns about the erosion of religious freedom in South Korea. These latest moves confirm their warnings: that conservative, pro-American churches are now under siege by state power.
For the United States, this is not a distant matter. Reverend Billy Kim embodied the U.S.–Korea evangelical alliance for half a century. Saegero Church’s ties to American human-rights leaders underscore the cross-border significance. To see these institutions raided and their leaders jailed is to witness the unraveling of religious liberty in a key U.S. ally.
If Billy Kim can be treated as a suspect and Son Hyun-bo placed behind bars for pastoral words, no faith community in South Korea is safe.
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Conclusion:
The crackdown on evangelical leaders in South Korea — from the raid on Billy Kim and FEBC to the imprisonment of Son Hyun-bo — is not law enforcement but political persecution. It is part of a broader pattern of silencing conservative voices under the guise of election law and lobbying investigations.
For Christians and defenders of freedom worldwide, these events must serve as an alarm. South Korea, once a beacon of religious liberty, now risks sliding into a system where pulpits are policed, sermons are criminalized, and pastors are jailed.
This case carries implications far beyond South Korea and must not be overlooked by the American freedom movement and its allies.
