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Korean missionary detained in Russia for allegedly violating immigration law

Published: 04 Feb. 2026, 16:37

A port in Khabarovsk, Russia, is seen in this file photo. [JOONGANG ILBO]

A South Korean missionary has been detained by Russian authorities in Khabarovsk, Russia, according to information confirmed on Tuesday. The case follows a similar incident in 2024 when another South Korean missionary was detained.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dispatched a consular official to check on the missionary’s condition and the circumstances surrounding the detention.

A South Korean missionary surnamed Park, identified as a woman, who had been active in Khabarovsk, was arrested by Russian authorities last month and remains in detention, according to the South Korean community in Russia and local media on Tuesday.

Park is believed to be facing charges including violations of immigration law. Local media, citing Russian authorities, reported that Park operated a religious camp for children and imposed strict routines — such as transcribing Bible passages — on them. The reports also emphasized that Park is affiliated with a U.S.-based religious organization.

“Park had carried out missionary work in Russia for 33 years before being arrested,” said a representative from the Voice of the Martyrs Korea, an organization assisting Park, in a phone call with the JoongAng Ilbo. “There are parts of the Russian media reports that are not consistent with the facts.”

The South Korean Foreign Ministry has begun efforts to determine the facts of the case. The Consulate General of South Korea in Vladivostok dispatched a consular official to Khabarovsk, where the official held an interview with the detained missionary on Wednesday.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Park Il speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 3. [NEWS1]

The official checked Park's health and requested humane treatment and a swift and fair investigation from Russian authorities.

“Necessary consular assistance is being provided to Park's family in South Korea,” a Foreign Ministry official said.

Concerns have also been raised that resolving the detention may not be easy, as relations between South Korea and Russia have not improved following North Korea’s deployment of troops to the war in Ukraine.

Previously, another South Korean missionary surnamed Baek was arrested by Russia’s Federal Security Service in Vladivostok in January 2024. Baek had spent nearly a decade providing humanitarian assistance to North Korean workers in the Russian Far East, including Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai.

Yoon Chu-sok, the director general for consular safety at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, right, and Alexey Klimov, the director of the consular department at Russia’s foreign ministry, are seen during the 18th Korea-Russia consular consultation in Moscow on May 21, 2025. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Baek, who was arrested on espionage charges, remains captive at Moscow’s Lefortovo detention center. Past cases in which foreign nationals were held long-term in Russia and used as diplomatic bargaining chips have further fueled concerns.

In January last year, Yoon Chu-sok, the director general for consular safety at the Foreign Ministry, visited Moscow and held the 18th South Korea-Russia consular consultation with Alexey Klimov, the director of the consular department at Russia’s foreign ministry.

It was the first time the two countries had held consular consultations since 2018. At the time, the two sides discussed consular issues, including the protection of South Korean nationals in Russia.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIM SEOK-YONG [[email protected]]