The Shame of Coercive Conversion: Ms. Ji-In Gu

A Korean woman in the prime of her youth lost her life because she refused to renounce her religious beliefs. Korean authorities have yet to bring this news to the public’s attention. Who will compensate for such a loss?

On 24^th of February 2018, 800 members of the religious communities rallied in Los Angeles, USA, to make a plea to the South Korean government to ban the heinous practice of ‘coercive conversion’ and punish Christian conversion pastors after a 25 year old Korean woman, Ms. Ji-In Gu, was allegedly suffocated to death by her parents. The rally was co-hosted by the AVCCP (Association for Victims of Coercive Conversion Programs) and IWPG (International Women’s Peace Group).

After having been kidnapped, held captive and subjected to the coercive conversion programme in a Catholic monastery for a period of 44 days in 2016, she managed to escape and wrote a letter of petition to the South Korean president calling for the ban of the practice of coercive conversion. She wrote: “When I was captured and forced to undergo conversion education for 44 days, I was so scared that I would be captured again, that I pleaded with the president that I too wanted to enjoy the freedom of religion written about in the constitution of the Republic of Korea.” Had her plea been attended to, her death would have never taken place. What is more disturbing is the fact that the police authorities ignored the missing persons’ report filed immediately after her abduction on the grounds that it was a “religious issue” and a “family issue.”

This practice of coercive conversion is leading to a steady increase of victims. There are nearly 1300 victims of coercive conversion within South Korea alone, and the number is growing. Her death must be thoroughly investigated and the truth made known so that this practice can be put to an end. Religious leaders across the world including the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand and South Africa are making a plea to the South Korean government to enact a law that will criminalise coercive conversion. Coercive conversion pastors must be held accountable for their actions for the pain caused to the family, and the blatant violation of the protection of one’s religious freedom under Article 20 of the Constitution of South Korea must be brought to light. May her efforts to bring those responsible to justice prior to her untimely death not go in vain.

To find out more, please see

Remembrance page in Facebook for Ms. Ji-In Gu

http://bit.ly/2rQ5m8pOfficial

Homepage of the Association of Victims of Coercive Conversion Programs (AVCCP)

http://endcoerciveconversion.org