On 1st June 2020, Cheonji Ilbo (Daily) published an article entitled "Coercive conversion pastor treated me like an animal and instigated mistrust within my family”. This is a translation of that article.

The once unknown term 'forced conversion' became a serious topic in Korean society in 2008 after Pastor Yong-Sik Jin sent Mrs. 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 Mrs. 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. 

Pastor’s Son

Plans for Forced Conversion in Many Churches

“Indoctrination education for 10hours+ everyday”

[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Kang Soo-kyung] Many victims of the forced conversion programme have been fired from work because this programme is often carried out while its victim is forcibly put into confinement by a deceived family member. Il-sun Jeong (pseudonym) of Seongnam city, Gyeonggi province, lost his job because of forced conversion carried out by his family. His parents and pastors at their church did not acknowledge Jeong's faith. Eventually the forced conversion programme was brought in and intensified distrust within the family. What follows is an account of Jeong's appeal.

Hello. I'm a 31-year-old office worker living in Jungwon District, Seongnam city.

Allow me to introduce myself. My father is the pastor of a church which I have been going to since I was in my mother’s womb.

Although I had been going to this church since I was a baby, I had always gone with so many questions about the Bible. I often felt frustrated from all the unresolved questions I had.

I went to school, grew into an adult with an active social life and worked hard to achieve my goals It was only by chance that I began attending the church I currently go to.

The church I go to today has given me answers to my lifelong questions. Thankfully, my faith has grown even stronger.

About a year and a half after I started going to this church, on July 5th 2014, my parents asked me to go on a family trip. We often took family trips, so I agreed without hesitation.

While driving through the mountains, I saw a prayer centre from a distance. My mother told me she wanted to pray and asked me to go with her to the prayer centre. Since I had been there a few times, I agreed. I began to unload the luggage when my mum suddenly came up to me accompanied by a conversion pastor.

I refused their demands. But my parents compelled me to listen to the conversion pastor and pressured me into following him to the prayer centre.

At the prayer centre, I was coerced into signing a form consenting to forced conversion counselling, surrounded by all my family.

The form stipulated that the conversion pastors were absolved of any consequences resulting from conversion counselling and that such responsibility fell on the family. Forced conversion then began.

The day after I signed the consent form, my aunt and even aunt's husband watched my every step, first thing in the morning to going to sleep. I had no privacy. When I got up to go to the bathroom, everyone would fix their gaze on me. At night, they led a nightwatch to see if I would escape and preventing me from leaving the room at all.

While receiving conversion education, I asked the conversion pastor questions which I gave answers to from the Bible. But he refrained me from speaking.

Moreover, the conversion pastor responded in a patronising tone, cursing me and telling me that everything I was saying was a lie and signs of a madman. He made me feel like I was out of my mind.

The consent form stipulated one-on-one education, but in reality it was one-to-many as my family listened in behind me, all telling me I was wrong. In such a hostile environment I was soon crushed in spirit. I was forced to receive 10 or more hours of conversion counselling each day.

At that time, as a 26 year-old man, the experience of forcibly receiving such education with my every movement monitored and my basic rights denied was an intolerable violation of my human rights.

I received forced conversion for 3 weeks. Then the conversion pastor finally gave up and left after seeing I would not convert. When I returned home, my family became even more distrustful and suspicious of me. I had lost the family I knew before conversion education began.

Because of the stigma attached to being a victim of forced conversion, I was labelled ‘irresponsible’ and lost my job. It’s not easy to find work. Even now when family members ask me where I’m going, they quickly become suspicious and agitated.

My family and I suffered ill after-effects that resulted from forced conversion including mental trauma and night terrors. Nowadays, human rights deprivations and violations are commonplace worldwide.

I hope that all pastors who manipulate and deceive families into committing human rights abuses will be exposed to the world so that they are no longer able to carry out illegal forced conversion.