▶ Key Takeaways
- South Korea’s socialist government is moving the country closer to communist China, according to Pastor Son Hyun-bo and Pastor Rob McCoy.
- Chinese nationals are receiving greater access to South Korea, including opportunities to acquire property and eventually vote in some local elections.
- Conservative Christians who oppose socialism, LGBTQ ideology, and the erosion of religious freedom are increasingly being treated as political enemies.
- Pastor Son was indicted after questioning a candidate about LGBTQ policies, school choice, and other issues affecting Christian families.
- He was detained without a conviction and placed in a three-foot-wide solitary-confinement cell with the lights on 24 hours a day.
- Pastor Son’s treatment sends a frightening message to other South Korean pastors: Speak out, and the government may come after you next.
- His Save Korea prayer and freedom movement reportedly drew an estimated five million people across five major cities.
- Charlie Kirk promised to help Pastor Son only four days before Kirk was murdered—and had already contacted Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the situation.
- Pastor Son warns that the same combination of socialism, government intimidation, media control, and pastoral silence is appearing in America.
- Christians can help by praying, sharing Pastor Son’s story, contacting America’s elected leaders, and refusing to remain silent.
How a courageous Christian pastor was imprisoned after speaking biblical truth. Now he warns that South Korea’s freedom—and America’s—may be in greater danger than most people realize.
Imagine being taken away from your family.
You are not accused of murder.
You did not assault anyone.
You did not threaten your country.
Your “crime” was asking a political candidate three questions about issues affecting Christian families.
Yet you are locked inside a solitary-confinement cell only three feet wide.
The lights remain on 24 hours a day.
Bugs invade the cell.
You cannot tell whether it is day or night.
You have not been convicted—but you are not allowed to go home.
This is not a story from communist North Korea.
It happened in South Korea.
And the man the government imprisoned was Pastor Son Hyun-bo, the pastor of one of the largest churches in Korea and one of South Korea’s most courageous defenders of liberty, biblical truth and religious freedom.
Pastor Son joined Shelly and me, along with Pastor Rob McCoy, for one of the most important—and disturbing—interviews we have ever recorded.
His testimony is about much more than the persecution of one pastor.
It is about the growing threat of socialism.
It is about South Korea opening the door to increasing communist Chinese influence.
It is about a government targeting conservatives and Christians who stand in its way.
And it is about the dangers Pastor Son already sees developing here in America.
Here are 9 things you won’t learn about anywhere else;
1. A free and prosperous country is moving in a dangerous direction.
For decades, South Korea has represented one of the great victories of freedom over communism.
Communist North Korea became a dictatorship in which religious liberty, freedom of speech, and basic human rights were crushed and the people became impoverished.
South Korea became a prosperous American ally with a thriving economy, successful international companies, and a large Christian population. And protection of individual freedom and free enterprise.
Approximately one-third of South Korea’s population is Christian.
South Korea is also one of the world’s leading missionary-sending countries. Its courageous missionaries serve in some of the most dangerous places on earth.
But Pastor Son and Pastor McCoy warn that something ominous is now happening.
South Korea’s socialist political leadership is moving the nation closer to communist China and North Korea while weakening the people, freedom, the economy, institutions, and churches that resist that transformation.
The New South Korean government is socialist, pro-Chinese, and hostile to conservatives, individual liberty, free enterprise and its anti-Christian and Biblical values social policy.
Pastor McCoy warned that communist China does not necessarily need to conquer South Korea with tanks or missiles.
The takeover is occurring gradually.
Communist China’s influence grows.
Election laws change compromising election integrity.
Government control and ownership of homes expands.
Media censorship.
Christian leaders are intimidated.
The population becomes afraid to speak.
By the time people recognize what has happened, their freedom may already be gone.
2. Is South Korea opening the door to communist China?
One of the most alarming parts of our conversation involved the growing influence of Chinese nationals inside South Korea.
The government policies have made it easier for people from communist China to enter South Korea, acquire property, and eventually gain voting privileges after meeting residency requirements.
The greater concern is that a hostile communist power could gradually increase its economic, social, and political control inside one of America’s most important Asian allies.
Pastor McCoy offered a chilling assessment:
“We are turning over South Korea to the Communist Chinese without a shot being fired.”
That warning should not be dismissed.
China has consistently used economic power, political pressure, technology, propaganda, and long-term strategic influence to advance its interests.
A nation can lose its independence without a traditional military invasion.
That is why Pastor Son believes South Koreans must awaken now—before their opportunity to resist disappears.
3. Why did the government target Pastor Son?
Pastor Son did not quietly accept the socialist government’s direction.
He spoke publicly about religious freedom.
He opposed policies that violated biblical principles.
He challenged LGBTQ ideology.
He defended school choice and parental authority.
He kept his church open during the COVID shutdowns and endured approximately 40 related hearings and legal proceedings.
He also helped launch the Save Korea movement, calling conservatives to unite and Christians to pray, worship, speak out, and defend their freedom.
The movement eventually brought an estimated five million people together across five major South Korean cities.
That made him difficult to ignore.
It also made him dangerous to those seeking to silence Christian opposition.
The government officially accused Pastor Son of violating election laws after he questioned a candidate running for superintendent of education.
But what were the questions that allegedly made him a criminal?
They involved issues such as LGBTQ policies and school choice.
Pastor Son said he never told his congregation to vote for a particular candidate. He wanted Christian voters to understand what the candidate believed.
In a genuinely free country, pastors and citizens should be permitted to question candidates about policies affecting children, families, churches, and religious liberty.
Yet Pastor Son was indicted, arrested, and detained without a conviction.
The government is also threatening the Christian school associated with his church and pursuing other serious allegations against him.
The message to other South Korean pastors appears unmistakable:
Look at what happened to Pastor Son.
If you speak out, this could happen to you.
4. Pastor Son was made an example to intimidate the church pastors and conservatives.
Authoritarian governments do not always need to arrest every dissenter.
They only need to make a highly visible example of a few courageous people.
Pastor Son leads a major church.
He organized an enormous public movement.
He mobilized Christians and conservatives who had previously been silent or afraid.
By imprisoning and repeatedly prosecuting him, the government sent a warning throughout the South Korean church.
Stay inside your church building.
Do not question the government.
Do not discuss controversial issues.
Do not mobilize Christian voters.
Do not oppose socialism.
Do not challenge the country’s growing relationship with communist China.
Pastor Son told us that many pastors remain afraid.
Pastor Rob McCoy responded with a warning that applies equally to pastors in South Korea and America:
“Your silence is consent.”
When government officials use their power to suppress biblical speech and religious freedom, silence is not neutrality.
Silence gives those officials permission to continue.
5, The freest man in the prison…
Pastor Son’s description of solitary confinement was heartbreaking.
The cell was approximately three feet wide and seven feet long.
The light remained on around the clock.
Because the prison was located in a mountainous area and the cell had no conventional window, bugs were constantly drawn toward the light.
He was separated from his wife, children, church, and congregation.
Yet the government could not take away his faith.
Pastor Son remembered a promise he had made to God when he was young:
He would dedicate his life to God and defend the freedom to worship.
Although his heart was breaking when he thought about his family, he was grateful that God could use him as an instrument to defend freedom.
“The persecution on us is actually a privilege, if it’s for God,” he told us.
The Scripture that strengthened him was Psalm 35:1:
“Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me; fight against them that fight against me.”
Pastor McCoy visited Pastor Son in prison.
He warned him that he might remain there until the church awakened.
Pastor Son’s response was simple:
“As long as necessary.”
Pastor McCoy described him as “the freest man in that prison.”
The government controlled the cell.
But it did not control Pastor Son.
6. Charlie Kirk’s final promise…
Pastor Son’s story also has an extraordinary connection to Charlie Kirk.
Pastor McCoy introduced the two men in South Korea just four days before Charlie was murdered.
They immediately connected through their shared faith, courage, and commitment to mobilizing young people for freedom.
Pastor Son told Charlie that the government had indicted him and was preparing to arrest him.
Charlie did not make promises on behalf of the American government.
But he made Pastor Son a personal promise:
“I’m going to do everything in my power to get eyes and ears on this, to try to get you out.”
After returning to America, Charlie asked Pastor McCoy to obtain Pastor Son’s arrest orders and other documents.
Charlie intended to feature Pastor Son’s persecution on his podcast.
He also contacted Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the situation.
Charlie was scheduled to record the podcast on Thursday.
He was murdered on Wednesday.
Pastor McCoy then made it his mission to keep the promise Charlie could no longer fulfill himself.
He traveled to South Korea, visited Pastor Son in prison, and began working to bring his case before President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary Rubio, members of Congress, and other American leaders.
7. Could South Korea become another Hong Kong?
Pastor Son remains hopeful.
Young people are awakening.
Christians are gathering to pray.
South Korean and American flags are being waved together as symbols of freedom.
Pastor Son believes the socialist advance can be stopped.
But Pastor McCoy warned what could happen if it is not stopped.
South Korea could become another Hong Kong.
Hong Kong was once one of the freest and most economically dynamic places in the world.
Communist China promised to preserve many of its freedoms under the principle of “one country, two systems.”
But those freedoms steadily disappeared.
Political opposition was suppressed.
Freedom of speech was restricted.
Independent media was crushed.
Churches outlawed.
Pro-democracy activists were arrested or forced into exile.
Pastor McCoy fears South Korea could remain nominally independent while gradually becoming subservient to communist China.
The country might still be called “South Korea.”
It might still hold elections.
It might still have churches.
But genuine political and religious freedom could be gone.
8. Pastor Son’s warning to America…
It would be easy for Americans to view this as a distant foreign problem.
That would be a mistake.
Pastor Son sees some of the same warning signs in America:
Socialism disguised as compassion.
Government agencies used against ideological opponents.
Media institutions promoting one political narrative.
Christian beliefs characterized as hateful or dangerous.
Pastors afraid of losing members or money.
Churches reluctant to address controversial moral issues.
Christians who assume their freedom will always be protected.
Pastor Son repeatedly warned South Koreans that freedom could disappear quickly.
Many believed his warning was unrealistic.
Then he was arrested.
America still possesses extraordinary constitutional protections.
But constitutional rights only survive when citizens understand, defend, and exercise them.
Religious liberty can be weakened gradually—through regulations, selective prosecutions, censorship, financial pressure, bureaucratic intimidation, and the fear of social consequences.
South Korea is not only fighting for its own future.
It is showing Americans what can happen when the church waits too long to awaken.
9. What you can do now…
Pastor Son is not asking Americans to fight South Korea’s political battles for him.
He is asking us to stand for religious freedom.
You can help in four important ways.
First, pray for Pastor Son, his family, his church, and the Christians of South Korea.
Pray for his safety.
Pray that the criminal accusations against him will fail.
Pray that President Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio, and members of Congress will understand the importance of his case.
Second, watch or listen to our complete interview by clicking on the links below.
You need to hear Pastor Son describe what happened in his own words.
His courage, humility, and faith cannot be fully conveyed in a written article.
Third, share the podcast.
Send it to your pastor.
Email it to friends.
Text it to family members.
Post it on social media.
Most Americans have no idea that a Christian pastor has faced this kind of persecution in South Korea.
Fourth, refuse to remain silent.
Speak the truth.
Defend religious liberty.
Oppose socialism and communism.
Encourage your pastor and church to address the moral and political issues that directly affect Christian freedom.
South Korea’s future may depend upon whether its Christians act now.
America’s future may depend upon whether we learn from their warning.
Watch or listen to “South Korea’s Warning to America: The Pastor Imprisoned for Speaking Biblical Truth.”
Then please subscribe or follow the Huey Alert Podcast on YouTube, Rumble, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, or your preferred platform.
Help us expose what is happening.
Help us defend Pastor Son.
And help us warn America—before the freedoms we take for granted begin disappearing here.
To watch the podcast, click the following links:
Rumble
YouTube
Real Life Network
To listen only to the audio version of the podcast, click any of the following links:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
iHeart Podcasts
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FAQs:
Q: Who is Pastor Son Hyun-bo?
A: Pastor Son Hyun-bo is a prominent South Korean Christian pastor and religious-liberty advocate. He leads a large church in Busan and helped organize the Save Korea prayer and freedom movement.
Q: Why was Pastor Son arrested?
A: Pastor Son said the formal charges involved South Korean election law after he questioned a candidate about issues including LGBTQ policies and school choice. He maintains that he did not endorse a particular candidate but wanted his congregation to understand the candidate’s positions.
Q: Was Pastor Son convicted before being detained?
A: According to Pastor Son’s testimony, he was detained and held in solitary confinement without being convicted and without being granted bail.
Q: What were the conditions in solitary confinement?
A: Pastor Son described a cell approximately three feet wide and seven feet long. The lights remained on 24 hours a day, and bugs entered the cell because of its location and the constant light.
Q: Why do Pastor Son and Pastor Rob McCoy believe he was targeted?
A: They believe Pastor Son became a target because he openly opposed socialist policies, defended biblical teachings, challenged LGBTQ ideology, supported school choice, and helped mobilize millions of South Koreans through prayer and public demonstrations.
Q: Is communist China taking over South Korea?
A: South Korea remains an independent country. However, Pastor Son and Pastor McCoy warn that its socialist leadership is permitting greater communist Chinese economic and political influence. They fear this could gradually weaken South Korea’s independence and religious freedom.
Q: What is the Save Korea movement?
A: Save Korea is a prayer and freedom movement led by Pastor Son and other South Korean Christians. Pastor Son said gatherings across five major cities attracted an estimated five million participants.
Q: What was Charlie Kirk’s connection to Pastor Son?
A: Pastor Rob McCoy introduced Charlie Kirk to Pastor Son in South Korea four days before Charlie was murdered. Charlie promised to draw attention to Pastor Son’s persecution and had begun gathering documentation and contacting American officials.
Q: What does Pastor Son’s experience have to do with America?
A: Pastor Son warns that socialism, government intimidation, ideological media control, suppression of Christian beliefs, and pastoral silence can threaten freedom in any country—including America.
Q: How can Christians help Pastor Son and South Korea?
A: Christians can pray, share Pastor Son’s story, encourage American leaders to defend international religious liberty, watch and distribute the Huey Alert interview, and speak out against socialism, communism, and government persecution of Christians.
About Craig Huey:
Craig Huey is the founder of Creative Direct Marketing Group (CDMG) and publisher of The Huey Alert, reaching over 100,000 subscribers. He is a leader in direct response marketing and a passionate voice at the intersection of faith, freedom, and culture.