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Religious Freedom Summary* (1997) The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government respects this right in practice. In August the Ministry of Interior denied temporary resident status for some 100 Japanese members of the Sun Myung Moon church. The Ministry determined that the members had violated their status as tourists by actively proselytizing. However, none of the group were punished, and, while requiring the group to leave, the Government allowed the same members to reenter the country as tourists, but not for religious purposes. The Government noted that under the law, visitors must seek immigrant status in order to practice religious proselytism. *Source: County Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1997, U.S. Department of State |