RUSSIA: PROSECUTOR TO CLAIM DETAINED KOREAN MISSIONARY “FORCED” CHILDREN TO PRAY
Voice of the Martyrs Korea, the persecution watchdog ministry which has been advocating for Korean missionary Park Tae Yeon since her arrest in Khabarovsk, Russia in January, has learned that the prosecutor will claim that she “forced” children who stayed with her to pray. The ministry says it believes a psychiatrist may be called to testify about the impact of the alleged “forced” religious behavior on the children.
“This is not an uncommon strategy by Russian authorities,” says Voice of the Martyrs Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley. “In prior incidents involving Protestants, they have claimed that various Protestant practices—singing, praying, taking an offering, preaching—are designed to put participants in a vulnerable psychological state in order to brainwash them. They claim that participants are unwittingly subject to unhealthy psychological pressure or coercion to accept values and actions that are contrary to traditional Russian society.”
Representative Foley says that even though the claims of the children are not directly tied to the immigration-related charges Missionary Park is facing, the claims could affect the court’s assessment of the seriousness of the charges.
Ms. Park Tae-yeon has been living with a sincere love for the country of Russia and its people since she arrived there in 1993.
“The prosecutor may claim that because minors were involved, the court cannot dismiss the charges against Missionary Park,” says Representative Foley. “Also, the prosecutor may use the testimony to claim that the reason Missionary Park engaged in these alleged immigration violations was to recruit people to her religious doctrines. As Voice of the Martyrs Korea has said since Missionary Park was first arrested in January, public statements in the media by Khabarovsk officials raise concerns that the charges against her are religiously motivated, even though the charges themselves are not religious.”
Representative Foley says she expects that Missionary Park’s attorney will dispute any testimony of wrongdoing by the missionary. “We believe that Missionary Park’s 33 years of selfless service in Russia demonstrate her true character, and that any testimony against her will be disproved accordingly,” says Representative Foley.
According to Representative Foley, Missionary Park’s case is now with the Khabarovsk prosecutor, and the missionary’s trial, which was originally expected to take place in May, will now likely take place in early July. Missionary Park faces a possible total 17 years in prison on three immigration-related charges.
Representative Foley says Voice of the Martyrs Korea is concerned that the delay in the trial date may have been due to investigators using the case against Missionary Park as an opportunity to gather information which could potentially be used in other, future legal actions by authorities against Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals) of Russia, the denomination which has partnered with Child Evangelism Fellowship organization in Russia for some activities.
Screenshot of the video published by Readovka.news
Voice of the Martyrs Korea has learned that Child Evangelism Fellowship is not mentioned in Missionary Park’s indictment, says Representative Foley.
“These possible future legal issues don’t relate to Missionary Park’s case, but they do relate to the growing difficulties Protestant Christians in Russia are facing from authorities,” says Representative Foley.
“Earlier this year, Russian authorities declared Mission Eurasia, the large European mission agency, as an ‘undesirable’ organization. That designation bans an organization from operating in Russia and prevents Russian citizens from participating in any activities related to the organization, even subjecting them to criminal liability. A religious organization can also be declared as an ‘extremist’ organization, which enables their assets to be seized, their Internet presence blocked, their activities banned, and participants criminally prosecuted. We want to be clear that to this point, neither the Pentecostal Union nor Child Evangelism Fellowship have been declared ‘undesirable’ or ‘extremist’ by Russian authorities, and a series of steps would have to occur in order for that to happen. But the broad and extensive investigation surrounding what are legally very narrow immigration charges against Missionary Park raises serious concerns for others in the future, in our opinion.”
Representative Foley says that legislative amendments passed in Russia in July 2025 related to the extremist organization designation have also drawn the attention of Christian watchdog groups like Voice of the Martyrs Korea.
“As a result of the amendments, an organization may be designated as extremist if at least one of its participants has been recognized by a court as the leader or member of extremist activities. We understand that in Russia, one of the indicators of being designated as extremist is when a person states that their religion is the only true faith and that all other religions are evil,” says Representative Foley.
Screenshot of the video published by Readovka.news
She says it remains to be seen how authorities will apply these amendments. “A court decision is still required to declare an organization as extremist, and until that happens, we won’t know what affect the amendments will have on Christians. But every individual case against a Christian in Russia is important because it sets precedents for how future cases will be investigated and tried.”
Representative Foley says that Missionary Park continues to be held in a temporary detention center for foreigners in Khabarovsk, with her detention formally extended until July 16. Further extensions are expected to continue at least until her trial is completed, she says.
In April, the court dismissed a cassation appeal filed by Missionary Park’s attorney last regarding the seizure of her home by authorities as part of an investigation. Representative Foley says that Missionary Park’s attorney plans to appeal the dismissal.
An online petition posted by Voice of the Martyrs Korea from February to April garnered more than 4,000 signatures from Korea, along with more than 1,000 signatures from Russia, Ukraine, the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Africa, Finland, Zimbabwe, Poland, Hungary, Indonesia, Romania, Nigeria, Scotland, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.
In April, Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representatives Dr. Hyun Sook Foley and CEO Pastor Eric Foley delivered the petition to the Russian Embassy in Seoul, calling for the missionary’s immediate release. Copies of the petition were also sent to the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Park Tae Yeon is a Korean missionary who was arrested in Khabarovsk, Russia January 15, one week before she was scheduled to return home to Korea to retire at age 70. Authorities fined the missionary for overstaying her visa, despite the overstay being due to her detainment by Russian authorities.