22/08/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1DfSxSf5aR/ Please pray for all christian missionaries in other countries
SHE SPENT 33 YEARS LOVING RUSSIAN CHILDREN. THEY ARRESTED HER ONE WEEK BEFORE SHE COULD GO HOME.
Park Tae-yeon spent 33 years in Russia, ministering to children through Child Evangelism Fellowship and describing herself as someone "married to Russia" because of how deeply she loved the people there. At 69 years old, she'd finally decided it was time to retire and return home to South Korea. Her plane ticket was already purchased. One week before her flight, on January 15, Russian authorities arrested her in Khabarovsk.
Officials charged her with immigration violations, but state-affiliated Russian media quickly ran a very different story, claiming Korean missionaries had "brainwashed" children and forced them to copy the Bible for hours, with one city official alleging the goal was to take children to Korea for "final zombification." Missionary Park now faces up to 17 years in prison across three immigration related charges. In July, Russia officially designated Child Evangelism Fellowship USA as an "undesirable organization." Her trial, which opened July 28, was expected to reach a verdict by August 10, but the judge rescheduled, meaning a ruling may not come until late September.
Voice of the Martyrs Korea has delivered a petition with more than 4,000 signatures to the Russian Embassy calling for her release, and reports that she remains in good spirits, reading her Bible daily in detention. This is a story still unfolding, with no verdict yet and real uncertainty about what comes next for a woman who gave three decades of her life to loving other people's children.
Do you think the global church should be doing more to advocate for missionaries facing charges like this?
