The horror of Korean Christianity: The Christian Council of Korea murders two women and kidnaps over 1000 others through its programme of coercive conversion education

The Republic of Korea has been covering up atrocities that violate human rights on nearly every level. On 7th of October 2007, Mrs. Kim was hammered to death by her ex-husband in Ulsan for refusing to renounce her religious beliefs and convert to the Presbyterian doctrine of the Christian Council of Korea (CCK). In July 2016, 25-year-old Ms. Ji-In Gu was dragged to a Catholic monastery by her parents after being informed by these so-called ‘Christian pastors’ that her daughter had fallen into a ‘cult’. She forcibly received coercive conversion education during her 44 days of captivity before escaping. Shortly after, she wrote and submitted a letter (dated 4th June 2017) to the then-President of Korea pleading with him to enact a law that would punish these coercive conversion education pastors and criminalise their practice. She signed off her letter “I hope there won't be any more victims like me”. A few months later, Ms. Gu was dead. She likely suffered cardiac arrest by asphyxiation after she had been taken captive a second time. To date, the Korean government has neither released an official statement on either one of these two cases nor on the 1200 victims of the coercive conversion education programme. Is it not jarring that such things go unnoticed within Korea’s religious world?

Coercive conversion education programmes have been established by pastors of the CCK with the intention of forcibly converting one’s beliefs to that of the Presbyterian doctrine. They escape the punishment of the legal system by inciting parents to do the dirty work. These pastors instigate parents to plaster their children’s mouths, handcuff their hands and feet, and confine them in a room where they receive regular physical and emotional abuse until they renounce their religious beliefs and sign up to receiving coercive conversion education. This is the dark reality of today’s Christian world in Korea.

The doctrines of the CCK are rooted in a dark history. They are based on the teachings of John Calvin (1509-1564), founder of the Presbyterian Church, who asserted his theory of predestination and slaughtered men, women and children who opposed his beliefs. At the time of the Japanese colonialisation of Korea (1910-1945), the Presbyterian Church served as informants of the occupiers and incited pastors of all denominations to bow down and worship their Japanese gods. Those who refused to do so were imprisoned, and upon their release re-grouped to form ‘Go-Shin-Pa’. This is itself was a violation of God’s first commandment. Later in 1989, a group of conservative Korean Christians banded and formed the CCK, in support of a Constitutional amendment that would allow the then-Korean-president to run for a third consecutive term. Today in 2018, the title of a CCK pastor or Chairman are bought or sold with money, or filled by individuals who have never even attended a seminary.

Moreover, CCK has distorted the true meaning of the holy Christian scripture by feeding lies to its congregation members and has prevented the erection of the monument of the Declaration of the Reunification of North and South Korea and the creation of a large-sized handprint Korean flag, as well as numerous volunteer works that Shincheonji Church has carried out. CCK has declared outright war with Shincheonji Church, even though Shincheonji Church has been carrying out a global peace movement since its proclamation of the Declaration of World Peace on 25th May 2013, leading to fruitful peacework such as ending a 40-year-long religious dispute between Catholics and Muslims in Mindanao, Philippines, where weapons were turned into everyday tools and schools reborn as peace schools. Even presidents of countries including Albania, Palestine and Kosovo are supporting the peacework of Shincheonji Church, yet CCK disrupts this work and labels Shincheonji Church a ‘cult’. Who is the true orthodox and true cult?

It would be wrong to assume that the actions of the CCK are just a religious or family issue. Article 20 of the Constitution of South Korea, entitled ‘Freedom of Religion’, states that “all citizens enjoy the freedom of religion”. Everyone has the right to believe in what they want. CCK is committing unlawful acts that violate human rights on a basic level, using the name of religion.

Today, the membership of the CCK, which was once 12 million, is fast dwindling and is split into different factions. In short, it is not a religious organisation, does not serve God, violates human rights, lies about the Bible and divides Korean society. It works against the cause of peace and unification, and must cease to exist. In the Bible, the work of peace is mentioned 66 times. God promised it in Isaiah 52:7 and Jesus proclaimed it in Luke 19:38-42. Upholding the will of God and Jesus, Shincheonji Church is doing this work of peace today. I hope that every reader can see the reality of what is happening in Christianity in Korea today and discern for themselves what is right and wrong, orthodoxy and cult.

Main Reference

We accuse the Christian Council of Korea (CCK)!
http://www.shincheonji.kr/bv_shincheonjiIssue_5225

Additional links - Introduction of Shincheonji Church
https://bit.ly/2mBzPl3 https://bit.ly/2zZY71p https://bit.ly/2mDekA5

- Introduction of Christian Council of Korea
https://bit.ly/2A0fGOV

- Introduction of Coercive Conversion
https://bit.ly/2LGUAqb

- Counterevidence against Coercive Conversion
https://bit.ly/2uFnjoT

- Introduction of the Third Term
https://bit.ly/2LIcKI4