Pastor Hyunbo Son, Who Led 'Anti-Impeachment Rally for Yoon,' Meets Trump at White House...Continues Meetings with U.S. Officials

Conveying Concerns Over Religious and Human Rights Issues

Pastor Hyunbo Son of Segyero Church in Busan, who led rallies opposing the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, met with U.S. President Donald Trump on August 7 (local time).

According to Segyero Church, Pastor Son, together with his family, visited the White House on the same day and had a conversation with President Trump. He also visited the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

The church did not reveal specific details regarding their conversation.

Pastor Son has previously communicated concerns about religious and human rights issues in Korea—including the dissolution law for religious corporations and the comprehensive anti-discrimination law—through his interactions with U.S. government officials. The U.S. side has also continued to show interest in these issues.

Pastor Hyunbo Son meets with Trump at the White House. Segyero Church.

Earlier, in June, several U.S. government officials—including Riley Barnes, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) at the State Department; Julie Turner, Acting Deputy Principal at DRL headquarters; and Belsis Romero, liaison at the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships—visited Segyero Church in Busan to meet Pastor Son. Pastor Son also met with Michael Needham, counselor at the State Department, in February.

The church’s repeated disclosure of its contacts with U.S. officials appears to aim at drawing public attention to religious and human rights issues in Korea, and at fostering favorable public opinion among both the U.S. government and the conservative Christian community.

Pastor Son led rallies against the impeachment of former President Yoon as the head of the Protestant organization 'Save Korea.' Last year, he was indicted on charges of conducting illegal electioneering during the presidential election and was sentenced earlier this year to six months in prison, suspended for one year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.