Russia has added Child Evangelism Fellowship-USA to its list of “undesirable organisations”, a ruling that comes as missionary Park Tae Yeon (70) of CEF Korea faces a possible 17-year sentence in a trial that began on 28 July in Khabarovsk, southeast Russia.
Missionary Park has lived in Russia since 1993 and was arrested in Khabarovsk on 15 January, just one week before she was due to retire and return home to South Korea. She is scheduled to appear in court on three immigration-related charges in a trial that is expected to run until 10 August and has been fined for overstaying her visa, despite the overstay being due to Russian authorities detaining her.
CEF-USA designated an “undesirable organisation”
The decision to designate CEF-USA as an undesirable organisation was issued by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office on 6 July 2026 and was issued as an Order of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on 16 July, with no reason given.
“Basically, when an organisation is designated undesirable by Russia, it means that participating in the activities of that organisation or storing or distributing materials for the organisation – even storing one copy of one material, like at a library – can result in criminal charges,” explains Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr Hyun Sook Foley. “The ‘undesirable organisation’ itself is banned from operating its programmes, distributing its materials, or creating structures to accomplish its work. Even a single activity on behalf of an undesirable organisation – including transferring money to them – can result in a criminal charge.”
Representative Foley says that because the Order included no details it is not clear whether the designation applies to other branches of CEF, including CEF Korea.
CEF is not mentioned in Missionary Park’s indictment, but Representative Foley says there are concerns that the delay in her trial date may be due to investigators using the case against her as an opportunity to gather information to use in future legal actions against CEF-related workers and ministries, including the Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith, a Pentecostal denomination that has partnered with CEF for some activities.
Background: “Married to Russia”
Park Tae Yeon had bought a plane ticket to return from Khabarovsk to Korea to retire after 33 years of what she described as being “married to Russia” when she was arrested on 15 January on immigration-related charges. Voice of the Martyrs Korea says the charges are intended to divert attention from a basic violation of religious freedoms.
On 4 February Missionary Park was taken away from her home by masked law enforcement agents who refused to say where she was going. A local pastor was able to work with lawyers to find her at a detention centre for foreigners where she had been taken because her visa had expired on 24 January. She was later moved from the detention centre to house arrest after submitting a pledge not to leave Russia until the end of the investigation.
At a press conference on 4 February at Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s Seoul office, founders Pastor Eric Foley CEO and Dr Hyun Sook Foley expressed concern for Missionary Park’s health.
Pastor Foley highlighted a report on 23 January 2026 by state-affiliated Russian media outlet RIA citing a Khabarovsk city official who told of an investigation by law enforcement agencies into religious camps for children in Khabarovsk and claimed 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 South Korea.
“Ms Park is clearly among those targeted by that investigation,” said Pastor Foley, while Dr Hyun Sook Foley called the allegations “ridiculous” and added, “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 practised a life of caring for her neighbours, 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 criticised the Russian media reports for their portrayal of CEF as brainwashing children, with Pastor Foley stating: “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 programmes. They have extensive training programmes 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.”
He added that videos released by Russian media that 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,” he said. “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.”
Voice of the Martyrs Korea delivers petition
An online petition run by Voice of the Martyrs Korea from February to April calling for Missionary Park’s immediate release garnered over four thousand signatures from South Korea and more than one thousand from other countries around the world.
In April, Dr Hyun Sook Foley and Pastor Eric Foley delivered the petition to the Russian Embassy in Seoul, and copies were sent to the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
(Voice of the Martyrs Korea)
Photo: Voice of the Martyrs Korea