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The English briefing · Seoul · Civil liberties

The right to be heard.

Koreans speak for their beliefs, their communities and their future. We bring their voices—and the context around them—to the English-speaking world.

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Important developments, translated into consequence—not copied from a social feed.

Briefing desk verified · Jan 2024 – Aug 2026 · checked Aug 19
Media

Why renewed interest in communism matters for faith and family

A new long-form analysis compares communism’s stated promises with its historical record and examines why independent faith, family life, property rights and a free press remain central safeguards.

Why it matters to peopleWho controls the public square shapes what citizens can hear and say.
Published reporting · The Monarch Report on X
Court case

Defense challenges inconsistencies in testimony in Dr. Hak Ja Han case

The defense account identifies statements it says do not align across the record. The article separates the defense argument from established findings while the proceeding remains ongoing.

Why it matters to peopleThe ruling tests due process and the balance between state power and individual liberty.
Published reporting · The Monarch Report on X
Religious freedom

Missionary support payments face new tax questions

A Monarch Report analysis examines how tax treatment of overseas missionary support could affect churches, missionaries and the boundary between religious activity and taxable compensation.

Why it matters to peopleThe precedent affects how freely communities can organize, worship and participate in public life.
Published reporting · The Monarch Report on X
Legislation

New investigative structure shifts the final check on police cases

Original reporting reviews a legal restructuring that gives police investigations a more decisive role and asks what recourse remains when an investigation is incomplete or disputed.

Why it matters to peopleChanges to law can alter speech, court access and the protections available to ordinary citizens.
Published reporting · The Monarch Report on X
Original reporting

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Korea · Aug 17

Communism Is Not Complete Until God and Family Are Gone

Why Young People Are Drawn to Communism Today A generation that never lived through the Cold War now votes. In a March 2025 Cato Institute/YouGov survey, 62 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 viewed

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Korea · Aug 14

"Their Testimony Did Not Agree": The Gaps Dr. Hak Ja Han's Defense Found in the Records

The special counsel's demand for 13 years made headlines. The defense's answer at the same hearing, that the case rests on one witness whose account does not match the records, did not. At the final

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Democracy · Aug 8

South Korea Taxing its own Churches for Sending Missionaries - Have They Lost Faith?

A court told the Korean government the law did not let it tax charitable money sent abroad. Nine months later, regardless of that ruling, the government wrote the limit into two decrees itself.

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Democracy · Aug 6

Dr. Hak Ja Han Defense: Prosecution’s Key Evidence Relies on False Statements

On August 31, the Seoul Central District Court, under Judge Woo In-seong, will deliver the first-instance verdict against Dr. Hak Ja Han, 83. Widely known among world leaders as Holy Mother Han and

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Korea · Aug 1

South Korea Passes Law Removing the Final Check on Police Investigations

Police initially treated it as a simple assault. The attacker’s DNA was found inside the victim’s jeans only after prosecutors conducted a supplementary investigation. The charge was upgraded to

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Korea · Jul 29

Morse Tan: “Lee Jae-myung Administration Is Destroying the ROK-U.S. Alliance, Lee Must Resign”

On July 25, 2026, Morse H. Tan, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice and professor at Liberty University, delivered his first speech in South Korea at the “10 Million National

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