South Korea (MNN) – Policies implemented under the administration of South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, have driven reports of religious freedom being curtailed in that nation. Eric Foley with Voice of the Martyrs Korea says the reports are misleading at best – false at worst. 

“We still enjoy good, solid, strong religious freedoms here in South Korea,” he affirms. 

Currently there are four ongoing cases of religious freedom in South Korea, which Foley says are best understood as involving the application of election laws to churches rather than a general crackdown on religious freedom. He points out that anytime there is a change in government, politically vocal pastors or ministry leaders become subjects of investigations. 

“The bottom line is it doesn’t indicate a trend of a South Korean government crackdown on religious liberty,” Foley says. 

Yet imprecise reporting continues to characterize mainstream media coverage of South Korea. 

For example, as South Korea and the United States cease to broadcast radio in North Korea, reports suggest that Christian broadcasts are among those no longer airing. Foley says that simply isn’t true. 

“The broadcasting that was curtailed by the US and South Korean governments was political broadcasting,” he explains. “Now, more than ever, when North Koreans turn their short-wave radio dials, what they’re going to encounter is more and more Christian broadcasts.” 

Beyond mischaracterizing the situation of Christians in South Korea, inaccurate reporting also overshadows actual concerns related to ministry. The current outlook for Christians ministering to their North Korean neighbors is especially dicey and, indeed, impacted by South Korean politics. 

As of September, South Korea has banned balloon launches into North Korea, likely a result of pressure from the North Korean government. The new law carries a jail term and fine.

View of North Korea from Odusan Observatory, South Korea. Courtesy of Tim Winkler via Unsplash.

For ministries who focus heavily on distribution of Gospel leaflets via balloon, this is a significant setback. In fact, when VOM began working in the region twenty-five years ago, North Koreans asked for two things: broadcasting and balloons. Foley views legislation against the latter ministry pillar as a reminder of where concerns around Korea should concentrate:

“Which is not about general news or religious freedom violations in Korea, but about specific decisions being made that do pose a challenge to North Korean ministry,” he says. 

Despite present and historical challenges, the North Korea Human Rights database shows the percentage of North Koreans who have seen a Bible increasing every year since 2000, with a high estimate of up to 8% of the population. 

“That’s remarkable because when we started it was literally zero percent,” Foley says. “So we know a difference is being made by the broadcasts we do, by the Bibles we get into North Korea through all available methods.” 

Please ask the Lord to guide Korean ministries as they face questions and concerns over how legislation will impact their work. Foley knows the Lord can use even restrictions for His good. 

“Things are always, in God’s plan, greater than we can perceive,” he says. 

In the spirit of Matthew 10:16, please ask the Lord to bless Korean ministry leaders with both wisdom and innocence; and pray they would maintain willingness before the Lord as He closes and opens doors in unexpected places. 

Pray also for North Koreans – for those who have heard the Gospel and those who have yet to hear – that all would receive God’s gift of salvation and grow in His likeness. Come what may, the Word of God will not be bound.

View of North Korea, courtesy of Unsplash. Featured photo: Evangelist in Seoul, courtesy of Theodore Nguyen via Pexels.