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Why Korea’s new religion bill is rattling Protestant churches

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Why Korea's new religion bill is rattling Protestant churches

A proposed South Korean bill that would sanction religious groups accused of systematic political intervention has sparked a fierce backlash from conservative Protestant leaders and opened a wider debate over the constitutional separation of religion and state.

The controversy centers on a bill to prevent political interference by religious groups, an amendment to the Civil Act proposed by independent Rep. Choi Hyuk-jin and governing party lawmakers.

Triggered by a Japanese court’s dissolution order for the Unification Church, the legislation would allow the government to revoke permits and seize the assets of religious organizations that are judged to have interfered in politics and harmed the public interest in violation of election laws.

This move has spotlighted the second clause of Article 20 of the Constitution: “No state religion shall be recognized, and religion and state shall be separated.”

Bill prompts wider church pushback

While the bill is widely seen as targeting the Unification Church and the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a controversial religious sect, conservative Protestant leaders fear it could be applied more broadly.

Conservative pastors view the legislation as a de facto “Church Closure Act.” They argue that the government could use it under the pretext of political interference to crack down on mainstream churches that criticize the administration.

Pastor Son Hyun-bo, a hard-line supporter of impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol, of Segyero Church, led a protest outside the National Assembly on April 1. Speaking later at a seminar hosted by the National Solidarity for the Protection of Freedom of Religion, Son argued that his previous conviction for illegal election campaigning resulted from the government’s misunderstanding of the separation of religion and state.

Professor Jeon Yoon-seong of Soongsil University supported that view at the Na-buteo Forum, saying that most countries define the principle as separating religion and the state, rather than politics and religion.

Pushback is not only coming from conservative churches. Major Protestant umbrella groups, including the United Christian Churches of Korea and the National Council of Churches in Korea, warned that the bill’s ambiguity leaves room for administrative abuse.

Christian nationalism in U.S.

This defense of political preaching mirrors the rise of Christian nationalism in the United States, a key support base for Donald Trump.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a pro-Trump Republican, has described the phrase “separation of church and state” as a “misnomer,” arguing that it was meant to keep the government out of the church, not faith out of public policy.

That line of argument gained urgency during tensions over the war with Iran, when Pastor Franklin Graham described the conflict as a just war at a White House Easter event and prayed for God to bless the military.

Church scholars warn against politicization

Mainstream denominations have tried to distance themselves from conservative factions that aligned with far-right activists following the Dec. 3 martial law declaration.

Kim Joo-han, a theology professor at Hanshin University, said the separation principle serves as a normative device to prevent religion from becoming a politically empowered interest group.

Lim Sung-bin, former president of Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, warned that mixing faith too closely with political power compromises religious messages for political gain.

“This can weaken the moral authority of religion,” Lim said.

Similarly, a group of 400 U.S. pastors and theologians recently released an appeal pushing back against Christian nationalism, arguing that using religion to deify politicians turns faith into a weapon of heresy and hypocrisy.

As the constitutional debate dominates the discourse, focus on regulating religious groups deemed harmful to society has drifted.

Debate shifts to long-term solutions

The Korean Society of Church Law proposed a special law explicitly targeting Shincheonji and the Unification Church, though critics argue that singling out specific groups sets a dangerous precedent.

Instead, experts advocate for victim support and public awareness over legal punishment, pointing to Britain’s Information Network Focus on Religious Movements and Japan’s National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales — or deceptive religious fundraising — as models.

“As it is now, when a heresy issue arises, if it is used merely as a distraction or to politically attack opponents, effective solutions cannot be developed,” said Tak Ji-il, a professor at Busan Presbyterian University.

“Instead of the control and surveillance of religion, we must take a gradual approach to finding sustainable solutions that foster a healthy religious culture,” he said.

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