Secretary of State Marco Rubio. AP=Yonhap News. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned the late young conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last month, saying, "He was very concerned about some of the things happening in the Korean church."

In an interview for the podcast "The Greg Laurie Show," released on the 28th (local time), Rubio revealed details of his conversation with Kirk, stating, "We exchanged text messages five days before he died," while discussing Kirk's Christian worldview.

Rubio said, "Kirk was in Korea at the time, or returning from it, and he was very concerned about some of the things happening within the Korean church right now. We were supposed to meet and discuss it, but unfortunately, that conversation never happened."

Rubio did not specify what the concerning situations were.

In August, President Donald Trump had commented on searches of churches by Korean investigative authorities during a summit with South Korea, stating, "If true, it would be regrettable."

It is unclear whether the situation Kirk mentioned is related to this.

Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth movement organization "Turning Point USA," was credited with playing a significant role in President Trump's re-election bid. At the same time, Kirk, who also faced criticism for his hard-right stances on issues like homosexuality and abortion, was fatally stabbed by a suspect in his 20s during a lecture at a university in Utah on September 10.

Regarding Kirk's faith, Rubio commented, "One of the things that made him special was that he wasn't just a political figure. While he was involved in politics, his ministry was on a much deeper level."

The Greg Laurie Show is a podcast hosted by well-known pastor Greg Laurie, and this interview was conducted on the 15th. The State Department distributed the full transcript of the interview as a press release that day.

Yonhap News