On 7th December 2020, Cheonji Ilbo (Cheonji Daily) published an article entitled "Allegation 'Shincheonji Stole My Daughter' Found to be a Lie." This is a direct translation.

Reversal of Claim by National Shincheonji Victims' Coalition that 'Shincheonji abducted my daughter'

[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Park Seon-ah] “My child was taken from me by Shincheonji.”

Outside Suwon District Court, where the trial against Shincheonji Church was held in November, parents allege that they have lost contact with their daughters because they have fallen victim to Shincheonji Church. Such claims are made by members of the National Shincheonji Victims' Coalition (also known as 'Jeonpeeyeon').

Jeonpeeyeon holds Shincheonji Church responsible for alleged damage caused as protestors chant, “I've lost my child to Shincheonji; please return her back.” Has Shincheonji Church really 'taken their child away', as they claim?

Following various interviews conducted, it was revealed that, in contrast to their claims, the reason children refused to meet their parents was because they were tired of their parents' continuous accusations and profanities as they pressure them to stop practising their life of faith with the words, "Leave Shincheonji!"

In fact, the chairman of Jeonpeeyeon has a history of convictions for abduction, assault and subjecting one young female Shincheonji believer in her twenties to 'coercive', or 'forced conversion' (aka 'deprogramming') in 2016. The daughter had avoided proceeding with charges because she did not want her father to be legally punished.

Evidence points to one case of a member of Jeonpeeyeon alleging that their child had been missing for seven years, even though they had kidnapped and imprisoned their own child about one year ago. What happened?

'Mrs. A', who is a member of Jeonpeeyeon and protests daily, alleged that she had lost contact with her daughter, a believer in Shincheonji, for over seven years. The reporters had a difficult time getting in touch with her daughter. The resulting discovery was shocking.

According to the testimony of 'Ms. B' - the daughter of 'Mrs. A' - she had been subjected to forced confinement by her parents in a studio near a church over a period of seven days in 2011 in order to undergo forced conversion. After being saved by the police, she returned home with her parents, trusting in their words that they would never again attempt forced conversion.

However, in March 2019, 'Ms. B' underwent forced conversion in a studio for 83 days after being kidnapped on her way home from her father's funeral. She was forced to undergo 14 hours of daily 'conversion counselling.'

Due to poor hygiene, she soon exhibited symptoms including cystitis, vaginitis, bleeding, enteritis, and conjunctivitis, and was prevented from accessing hospital treatment. She was even stopped from going to the bathroom, given a cup of noodles and made to urinate into a bottle.

This victim, who had barely escaped with police assistance, was fired from her job and continues to receive medication to treat her mental health and cystitis. Regardless, claims that she has been 'taken away' and 'unseen' for seven years continue. Is their daughter's claim a lie?

To cross-check these claims, the reporter uncovered a message asking for DNA samples of 'Ms. B's' hair and nails at a house in Gyeonggi province where the victim testified she had been imprisoned. Did 'Mrs. A', then, not actually imprison her own daughter and is her claim that she has not seen her daughter in seven years correct?

The Korean Constitution guarantees 'freedom of religion'. However, extreme discrimination and prejudice against minority faiths continues unabated throughout South Korea and has turned the perpetrator into the victim and the victim into the perpetrator.

https://bit.ly/3ghi9pI