Update: Voice of the Martyrs Korea confirms that Ms. Park met for 40 minutes with a representative from the Korean consulate on the afternoon of February 3. 

Ms. Park Tae-Yeon had her plane ticket purchased to return from Khabarovsk to Korea to retire at the age of 70 after 33 years of what she described as being “married to Russia”. However, authorities blocked her return home, arresting her on January 15 on immigration-related charges. Persecution watchdog organization Voice of the Martyrs Korea says the immigration charges are Russia’s way of diverting attention from what they say is a basic violation of religious freedoms. They’ve posted an online petition to the Russia Ambassador to Korea demanding Ms. Park’s immediate release, and they are urging all Korean Christians to sign it.

The petition can be accessed at https://vomkorea.com/en/petition-2026

At a press conference today at Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s Seoul office, the organization’s founders, Pastor Eric Foley and Dr. Hyun Sook Foley, expressed concern for Ms. Park’s health as well as what they described as “the declining health of religious freedom in Russia”.

“Ms. Park Tae-yeon was arrested on an immigration-related offense, but numerous reports on state-affiliated Russian media show that authorities are prosecuting a much broader case against her publicly,” says Pastor Eric Foley. He highlighted a report on January 23, 2026, by the state-affiliated Russian media outlet RIA, which cites a Khabarovsk city official who told of a months-long investigation by law enforcement agencies into religious camps for children in Khabarovsk.  That report says, “As a result of the investigation, the activities of a citizen of the Republic of Korea, who carried out missionary work while hiding behind plausible goals, were stopped.”

“Ms. Park is clearly among those targeted by that investigation,” says Pastor Foley. “By legally charging her with an immigration-related violation but prosecuting a much broader case against her through state-affiliated media, authorities are preventing Ms. Park, her family, and her representatives from understanding the full scope of the real case against her. They are also preventing Ms. Park from accessing appropriate legal resources for her defense. Further, the immigration charge against Ms. Park shields the Russian Federation from international accountability for its growing crackdown on basic religious freedoms in violation of established international norms.”

The Russian media reports claim that Korean missionaries brainwashed children, forcing them to copy the Bible for hours. A Khabarovsk city official cited in the reports claims that “ideas alien to Russian traditional values were imposed on children under the pretext of education and training” and that the ultimate goal was to take the children to Korea.

Voice of the Martyrs Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley calls those charges “ridiculous”.

“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. She has no prior criminal history. She has lived her whole life as a single person and has devoted herself to the locals for 33 years, to the point where she says she is married to Russia. She has practiced a life of caring for her neighbors, and her pure spirit of service has become an example for many people around her. Park Tae-yeon is a transparent and good person like a child, without political ideology or impure purpose.”

The Foleys criticized the Russian media reports for their portrayal of international ministry organization Child Evangelism Fellowship as brainwashing or pressuring children.

“Child Evangelism Fellowship has been operating around the world for more than 75 years, and they openly share their methods of evangelism through their website and books and training programs,” says Pastor Foley. “They have extensive training programs to ensure that children are never pressured or coerced, and they make sure that the wishes of children’s parents or guardians are always followed.” Pastor Foley says the videos released by Russian media which allegedly show Ms. Park and others interacting with children in Bible-related activities disprove the allegations of coercion.

“When you watch the videos, you don’t see tired children being brainwashed. You see children laughing and having a great time,” says Pastor Foley. “Child Evangelism Fellowship always says that children have a right to hear the gospel if they desire. That is one of many religious freedoms that Russia is gradually taking away from its citizens, and they are hiding that from the international community by accusing Christians of evil intentions and by imprisoning Ms. Park instead of letting her return home to retire after 33 years of genuine, caring service to the people of Russia.”

The Foleys say that Ms. Park has so far been denied access to the Korean consulate, which they note is a violation of Article 36 of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

The Foleys say they will exhaust every effort to see Ms. Park freed. Voice of the Martyrs Korea has posted an online petition at https://vomkorea.com/en/petition-2026. They’re urging all Korean Christians to sign it as soon as possible. They plan on delivering the petition to the Russian Embassy shortly after Chinese New Year, with copies also being sent to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.