By Ole Braatelien
He’s endured more than 20 lawsuits, a police raid on his church and home, and finally an arrest. Today, Pastor Hyun-bo Son resides in a prison cell.
If it happened in North Korea it would hardly be newsworthy. But this story takes place south of the 38th parallel.
Since 1993 Pastor Son has preached at Segero Church in Busan, South Korea.
“When my father started serving at Segero Church, there were only around 20 people. And now, weekly, there are over 4,000 people,” Chance Son told The Western Journal in a phone interview.
Pastor Son’s faith in God and his charismatic leadership drove his success as a pastor.
Those same qualities, however, also made him a threat to South Korea’s Democratic Party.
His persecution began during the COVID lockdowns in December 2020.
Only 20 members could gather at a church, no matter the congregation size, Son said.
“My father’s church is built to have 6,000 people. However, allowing just five people or 20 people, however the government wants — he rejected,” Son said.
Pastor Son continued preaching, sometimes hosting services with 1,000 attendees.
And when the government shut down Segero Church in January 2021, Pastor Son simply moved the service outside.
“Thankfully, there’s a big yard,” Chance Son said.
Because of his defiance, and the public backlash, the government reopened the church days later.
Later that same year, the government introduced the Anti-Discrimination Act.
The proposed law supported homosexuality and other LGBT initiatives, like de-criminalizing gay relationships in the military, according to Amnesty International.
It might have passed the National Assembly had it not been for Son, who united South Korean pastors against it.
On Oct. 27, 2024, 1 million Christians and protesters filled the streets of downtown Seoul and surrounded the National Assembly building. Meanwhile, another million protesters joined online, Son said.
“Ever since then, until now, no politician has mentioned about the comprehensive Anti-Discrimination law,” Chance Son told The Western Journal.
That was strike two against the stubborn pastor.
In January he initiated “Save Korea,” organizing national prayer rallies to combat political tyranny.
The rallies continued for months, as tens of thousands gathered to pray in Seoul, Busan, Daejeon, and Daegu.
Strike three.
The “incident” ultimately leading to his arrest happened in March, when Son interviewed Jeong Seung-yoon, a conservative candidate running for superintendent of education.
Son had interviewed him before his congregation at Segero Church.
“He was just briefly asking the candidate questions about how he will be pursuing education in terms of the LGBTQ, because that’s against the biblical values. And because of that, he has been under investigation for … the last four months,” Son said.
The National Election Committee filed numerous lawsuits against Son, alleging he violated election law by interviewing Seung-yoon days before an election.
Woke “pastors” also sued him, Son said.
Since the COVID era began, Pastor Son faced more than 20 lawsuits, mainly by the National Election Committee.
Read the rest of the article at The Western Journal
