MONROVIA,, Aug. 21 -- About 3,000 pastors from around the world have joined calls for religious freedom and judicial due process in South Korea, with international Christian leaders urging authorities to ensure a fair trial for 95-year-old Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee.

The calls were made during the first Joint Assembly of World Pastors, held on August 13, 2026, and co-hosted by seven Christian organizations from South Korea and abroad.

The assembly brought together pastors and religious leaders from Korea, Russia, Zambia, Thailand, Africa and other parts of the world, both online and in person, to discuss what organizers described as growing threats to religious freedom and the principle of separation between church and state in So...