Special to WorldTribune.com
[Pastor Son Hyun-bo of Busan, South Korea who supported Charlie Kirk’s appearance in Seoul days before his death was arrested by the government of President Lee Jae-Myung on Sept. 8. Son had organized protests in support of former conservative President Yoon Suk-Yeol.]By Bill Federer, September 15, 2019
On Sept. 6-7, 2025, my son, Michael, and I joined Charlie in South Korea with Rob & Michelle McCoy to be a part of Build Up Korea with Mina Kim.
It was an amazing event drawing thousands of young people who want to preserve that country’s freedom as well as the Christian faith, as Korea is 25 percent Christian.
Other speakers were Rob McCoy, Ryan Helfenbein of Liberty University, Alex Bruesewitz, Joe Ahn, Kangmin Lee, Abigail Dejarnatt, Maureen Bannon (daughter of Steve Bannon, who address the crowd via video, along with Jack Posobiec).
This time I was the “warm up” speaker right before Charlie took the stage. Charlie met with a Korean reporter before his talk, with Mina Kim interpreting.
In the back room, Charlie met with Korean Pastor Son Hyun-Bo of Segero Church in Busan, South Korea, — a courageous pastor who helped organize a million Koreans to fill the streets of Seoul to protest the a pro-trans bill before their legislature.
Soon after the country got a new president, who has made overtures to China and North Korea, the pastor’s home was raided, his cell phones and computers seized, drummed up lawfare charges were filed against him, and he was threatened with arrest.
While I watched, Charlie promised Pastor Son Hyun-Bo that if the Korean government arrested him, he would personally call President Trump and let him, and everyone in America, know about this weaponization in South Korea against Bible-believing Christians!
In one of Charlie Kirk’s last statements at the Build Up Korea event, he said
“But my last piece of advice — put Jesus first in all that you do! But then we must ask, what is the second most important thing? The second most important thing is to make sure you are allowed to do the first thing!
"Everybody — it is not news to you, there is a crackdown against the Christian faith in this country happening right now. And as believers we are Biblically commanded to stand up for those persecuted in the faith. And if you don’t focus at all on the second thing, which is making sure you can spread Jesus, then we will all be sharing the Gospel from a prison cell one day!”
Two days after we left, Pastor Son Hyun-Bo was arrested by the South Korean government and is currently in prison.
Please pray for the Christians in South Korea! Less than 24 hours before Charlie was assassinated, he texted Rob McCoy, Bob McEwen, and me this Bible verse:
September 9, 2025, 10:31am
I Corinthians 16:9 “… for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”
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