“Kidnapped and Confined Without Shower or Food, and Sexually Shamed” (Cheonji Daily 29th April 2020)
On 29th April 2020, Cheonji Ilbo (Daily) published an article entitled "Kidnapped and Confined Without Shower or Food, and Sexually Shamed." This is a translation of that article.
The once unknown term 'forced conversion' became a serious topic in Korean society in 2008 after Pastor Jin-Sik Jin sent Mr. Baek-Hyang Jeong to a psychiatric ward in order to carry out forced conversion. He was later punished by law. At that time Pastor Jin, who headed up the Heresy Investigation Committee of the Christian Council of Korea (CCK), forcibly converted believers who belonged to denominations of the established church labelled so-called 'cults', including Mr. Jeong’s. Such cases began to rise in leaps and bounds. At first, pastors carried out ‘forced conversion’ (also termed ‘deprogramming’ or ‘coercive conversion’) themselves, but later altered their approach. Today, forced conversion pastors instil fear and anxiety in the families of Shincheonji Church members by slandering Shincheonji Church, so that families are deceived into believing their beloved child, wife or parent has fallen into a ‘cult’ and are prone to making immediate hasty decisions. In order to prevent this, forced conversion programs tainted by illegal practices that include kidnap, confinement and violence become the 'last straw' to save the family. In 21st century South Korea, where issues around religious freedom have been brought to the limelight, ‘forced conversion’ continues unabated. This paper intends to serialise the distressing appeals of victims who have had to endure human rights violations and oppression through forced conversion, and are otherwise unable to voice their plea.
Feigned approval of my beliefs to catch me off-guard
Handcuffs, masking tape, and rope straps while asleep
A week in an old room with rats and centipedes
They gave me a plastic peebag and didn't let me into the bathroom
Treated me like a psychopath…Suspended from college
[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Kang Su-kyung] In order to force those who refuse to consent to accepting forced conversion, families sometimes use handcuffs, blindfolds, masking tape and rope to bind and kidnap their victims. How could they obtain these tools when they’re so inaccessible to the general public? Victims explained that the tools were handed over to the family by the counselling agency that runs forced conversion. In 2014, Mi-hee Ko (pseudonym, Seocho District, Seoul) claimed that she was abducted by family members and bound with tools passed on to them. What follows is an account of Ms. Ko's appeal.
In May 2014, I was made a victim of forced conversion education by my family.
I had lived a religious life in Shincheonji Church and my beliefs were often shamed by my relatives.
One day, my parents who had not hesitated to mete out profanities and abuse, reassured me out of the blue that they had accepted my choice of faith, and they began treating me affectionately as if nothing strange had previously occurred.
What I learned later was that this was the advice given to my parents by Guridan Guri Church, in case I ran away while they were preparing to carry out forced conversion.
Instead of acknowledging my faith, I promised to go to church at home and my parents promised not to lead or persecute me, or take me to a forced conversion program.
However, at 2am on May 18th 2014, after my family had hidden my belongings and cell phone, I opened my eyes feeling my father’s tight grip.
At that moment, I awoke stunned and terrified and cried out as I resisted to save myself, but I was immediately restrained by my mother and older sister who came in with handcuffs, masking tape and rope.
The feeling of stone cold metal on my body, and my family's attempt to tie me up tightly with rope to keep me from moving filled me with energy while also frustrating me.
I screamed, cried, pleaded and resisted in an effort to relax my neck, but my family bound me and took me to a van where my face, hands and feet were tightly bound so that I didn’t know where I was.
As the vehicle departed, I was hoping to hear the sound of the GPS, but an earphone was jammed into my ear to stop me from hearing. I shouted at the toll gate as loudly as I could in the hope that my voice would be heard, but was it was buried by the louder sound of the CCM.
I begged to use a bathroom. My older sister took my pants off and forced my legs open in front of all my family. I felt indescribable shame.
At 5am, I was brought to an unknown spot where I was imprisoned and tied up in a small room with my sister. The house, which hadn’t been lived in for a long while, was outdated and infested with worms, rats and centipedes.
All visible windows were covered with plywood, so I couldn't see anything, and the room was triple-locked, so I couldn't move anywhere.
While confined, I could neither wash nor eat. When I wanted to go to the bathroom, I was given a black bag via a narrow gap through the door.
The only time I could be free was when a person called a ‘conversion counsellor’ came in. The program, which they said would end in two days, increased in duration as I refused to be converted.
(Conversion pastor) Changed their words to my family, saying, “That woman is out of her mind and needs another month.”
I had to pretend to be converted in order to get out of that prison. At first they didn't believe me and they let me out, thinking I was converted when I stayed quiet without any further refutation.
It was the first time within one week that I could take in some air and sunshine. The reality of the conversion counsellor became apparent after conversion ended. They came from a place called Guri 'something' Church, which was the headquarters for conversion counselling and made up of converted members.
To protect the church from wrongdoing, they gave my parents handcuffs and keys, my parents' phone clone, vehicles, blindfolds and rope.
An appeal written by Ms. Go
Moreover, they persuaded my parents to force me to stop going to college and
attend their church for eight months. Every detail from preparation of
conversion education to its end was planned meticulously.
In addition, a conversion counsellor said that when he received
a phone call, he said, “I came here to
Gangwon Province on business.”
Their intention is not to imprison and educate me for any noble religious purpose. Their behaviours clearly contradict the notion of religion.
The hardest part to deal with was the pain of my beloved family forcing me to 'fix myself because of my wrongdoings'. I have never violated the law or committed a great sin.
However, they treated me as a sinner.
After receiving conversion education, rumours were spread throughout college that I had to stop studying and lost my cell phone, so I had no choice but to lose contact with my loved ones.
Most of all, my grandmother and relatives who knew this considered me unstable and made it impossible for me to live at home. However, my parents still believe in their words and continue to communicate with them, without reflecting on their actions.
I can't bear to allow these people, who justify illegal activity as legal, to continue committing such sin. This is my appeal.
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