South Korea’s firebrand pastors rally behind impeached president

As the Constitutional Court prepares to rule on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment in the coming days, activist pro-Yoon churches have emerged as some of the most visible and vocal supporters of the embattled leader.

Their rallies, online videos, and impassioned speeches frame Yoon’s impeachment—stemming from a controversial martial law declaration in December—not as a necessary check on a rogue leader but as an existential threat to the nation’s fight against North Korea and other perceived enemies.

Leading the anti-impeachment charge is Save Korea, a religious advocacy group founded in the wake of Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law. At rallies held across the country—including a massive demonstration in the conservative stronghold of Daegu, where police estimated more than 50,000 people gathered—supporters have carried signs proclaiming “Yes to Martial Law” and “Stop the Steal,” echoing claims of electoral fraud that have been repeated by both Yoon and U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The rallies show they want to exercise power and demonstrate that they are still influential in South Korean society,” said Sukwhan Sung, a theology professor and head of the Center for City and Community in Seoul. Proponents of Yoon’s return argue that his impeachment is not only politically misguided but also a strategic error that endangers national security. They invoke their religious faith and staunch anti-communism to justify their calls for his reinstatement.

Evangelical preacher Jun Kwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church, a prominent figure in the movement, vowed at a recent rally outside the president’s residence that his congregation would “mobilise the people’s right to resist and blow them away with one stroke of the sword” if the Constitutional Court votes to remove Yoon. Jun, who is currently under police investigation for suspected incitement of insurrection in connection with a January courthouse incident, maintains that his rhetoric is non-violent—a stance his church reiterated in a statement to Reuters.

The impeachment itself follows Yoon’s December 3 martial law declaration—a measure intended to crack down on “pro-North Korea” and “anti-state” forces that lasted only six hours before being withdrawn. The dramatic episode triggered widespread anti-Yoon protests and a subsequent parliamentary vote to impeach him on December 14. In the ensuing months, counter-protests by Yoon supporters have steadily gathered momentum, narrowing the gap in public opinion; recent polls indicate that his party now trails the opposition by just four percentage points, a significant rebound from a 24-point deficit in December.

However, not everyone in South Korea is embracing the fiery rhetoric. Critics from both religious and political circles have questioned whether the intense activism of groups like Save Korea is driven by genuine faith or merely a bid for influence in a society where secularism is on the rise and congregations are shrinking. A task force from the National Council of Churches has even described Save Korea as “a political group disguised with a Christian facade.”

Despite such criticisms, the movement’s supporters insist they are solely focused on protecting evangelical values and liberal democracy. “We are focusing on prayer movements to protect our values, and it is a misunderstanding to interpret them through a purely political frame,” a Save Korea spokesperson said.

As the Constitutional Court’s decision looms, both pro- and anti-Yoon factions are bracing for potential clashes. With police preparing for unrest, the coming days are expected to be critical not only for Yoon’s political future but also for the broader social and religious dynamics shaping modern South Korea.

Copied