Soon after the regional court on Sakhalin Island in Russia's Far East released Pak Hio Sun from custody on September 24, under an agreement that he would not leave the area, the Pentecostal pastor was hospitalized with ischemic heart disease.
Defense lawyer Vyacheslav Zhigalov said doctors officially confirmed diagnoses of hypertension, atherosclerosis, a duodenal ulcer, and asthma.
Pak Hio Sun, pastor of the Grace Church, was detained along with his interpreter on June 16 on Sakhalin Island in a police operation. The missionary was allegedly caught handing a 300,000 ruble ($12,000) bribe to a Federal Migration Service official to stop administrative procedures after he hired illegal Chinese workers to build a church.
The pastor denies the charges against him, saying the money handed over was a legitimate fine. If found guilty, he could face a 500,000 ruble ($20,000) fine or up to eight years in prison.
The Grace Church is located in Kholmsk, formerly Maoka, which was part of Japan until south Sakhalin was annexed by the Soviet Union following World War II. The church has a predominantly ethnic Korean congregation.
