South Korea is effectively doing something equivalent to a “death sentence” against an 83-year-old woman.
Dr. Hak Ja Han suffers from heart disease (arrhythmia and a history of surgery), her vision has deteriorated to the level of legal blindness, and she cannot manage basic tasks on her own.
She fell multiple times while in detention, underwent shoulder surgery, and has experienced rapid weight loss in her advanced age.
She has repeatedly stated that she cannot take her own medicine and is unable to do anything on her own. Yet her request for home-based care was denied.
On October 19, the Seoul High Court granted bail, but under extremely strict conditions.
Her residence is limited to the hospital where she is receiving treatment, and she was not allowed to return home. Contact is restricted to a small group including medical staff, lawyers, and caregivers, and she is effectively prevented from communicating with her family.
As a result, she remains isolated from her family and the congregation she leads.
Since her detention in September 2025, she has repeatedly moved between custody and hospital stays, with more than a year already having passed.
In addition to the appeal, proceedings in another case are set to begin in November.
They have exiled her to a hospital room and placed her in a perpetual state of imprisonment due to her health condition and future court proceedings.
Even though she has appealed and her guilt has not yet been finalized, Korea is effectively carrying out the sentence against her.
🇰🇷They cited her health as the reason, yet refused home-based care.
Where does judicial judgment end, and pressure on the organization begin?
Dr. Han Hak-ja’s bail was granted.
She may live only at the hospital. Returning home is forbidden.
Contact is limited to medical staff, lawyers, and caregivers.She is 83, uses a wheelchair, and cannot take her medicine alone.
She asked to live at home while receiving treatment. That request was denied.
The court granted bail citing her health, the progress of the case, and the extent of evidence collection.
Yet it still refused the home care she sought and confined her to the hospital.
In Korean hospitals, nurses do not handle all personal care.
Medication and daily assistance are often left to family or hired caregivers.
That is why she asked to be cared for at home.
Flight risk for an 83-year-old wheelchair user already hospital-bound for months is low.
Home confinement or electronic monitoring would address it.
Hospital-only confinement and the denial of home care go further.
Normal bail means living at home while standing trial.
They confined her to the hospital instead.
They invoked her health, yet denied the care she said she needed. Is it because her home is also a church facility?
If so, this is not simply bail for an individual.
It comes closer to managing a religious leader’s private life to control the organization itself.
Worldwide, it is rare to release someone on health grounds while forbidding them to go home.
Was this necessary for an 83-year-old?
Tom Hiddleston congratulating Chris Hemsworth on an award while saying For Asgard and lifting Mjolnir which he apparently keeps at his house (he just wants us to know he’s worthy I’m sure)