Yet is not the prosecution guilty of protecting the rights of criminals, rather than victims? All human rights logic has been thrown out of the window as an accused, elderly man, is imprisoned on the charge of 'violation of Covid-19 prevention efforts'. This ruling is an unprecedented human rights violation that will remain.

The arrest of Shincheonji Church's Chairman was made following charges brought forward by the National Association of Victims of Shincheonji (Jeonpyeon) on February 27th for alleged violation of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. In response to the ruling, Jeonpyeon issued an immediate statement on the 1st, saying, "I would like to thank the prosecution for all their investigative efforts over the last five months, and the judiciary who made this decision to issue an arrest warrant in accordance with the law."

In order to determine whether this decision was truly made in the name of justice, as Jeonpyeon has maintained, it is first necessary to consider whether Jeonpyeon and its affiliated pastors who accused Shincheonji Church acted in accordance with the law.

Pastor Hyun-wook Shin, a self-proclaimed 'Shincheonji Expert' and member of Jeonpyeon, was expelled from Shincheonji after teaching, "One must pray in the name of Chairman Man-hee Lee." Pastor Shin, who once said, "Even if I leave Shincheonji, I will testify about Chairman Man-hee Lee", is currently managing the Guri Heresy Counselling Centre where he actively leads the 'Anti-Shincheonji Forced Conversion Project'. This paper has published several reports about Pastor Shin giving instruction on the coercive (forced) conversion process, as well as the anti-Shincheonji one-person  protests on behalf of Jeonpyeon.

Pastor Yong-sik Jin was the first to head up the 'Cult Counselling Centre' in Korea which targets Shincheonji Church congregants. In the past, he was convicted for having forcibly imprisoned Mr. Baek-hyang Jeong in a psychiatric ward. Moreover, it was confirmed through account tracking that the money earned from 'cult counselling' amounted to one billion KRW (c.£650,000).

In addition to allegations of quarantine violations made against Chairman Lee, a significant number of Jeonpyeon members have conspired with the 'cult counselling centre' to target adult children in their 20s and 30s simply because they "go to Shincheonji". There is a long history of criminal activity and charges resulting from coercive conversion which endorses acts of kidnap, assault and confinement.

Worst of all, the victims, who are virtually all Shincheonji Church congregants, complain of severe post-traumatic stress disorder after fleeing their ordeal due to the shock of kidnap, imprisonment and assault by their own parents. Refusal to listen to the victim's own testimony is 'unconstitutional and inhumane' yet is tolerated because the victims are predominantly Shincheonji Church congregants whose parents have colluded with pastors of the established Church.

As stipulated in Article 276 of the Criminal Act, the crime of 'illegal confinement' is one which violates a person's freedom of movement, as is the crime of 'false arrest'. Forcible confinement in a room is one typical case, as is forcing the victim into a car and driving off. This carries a prison term of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 7 million KRW (c.£4500). In the case of a victim surviving confinement, Article 280 of the Criminal Act states that attempts to commit such a crime is punishable by law.

According to the law, parents who abduct and assault their adult child just because he or she 'goes to Shincheonji' are felons, as are conversion pastors who conspire in acts of forced confinement and abuse on the victim. Yet the government, prosecution and media state that these protestors' cries for 'justice' is justified, so one must wonder whether the concept of 'justice' is well and truly dead.

A similar situation occurred in Pilate's court 2000 years ago. Pilate could not find reason to kill Jesus. However, for fear of impending riots by leading Jewish religious authorities, Jesus was eventually given over to die. It is deplorable to see a similar situation taking place today in the Republic of Korea, which is a liberal democratic country, 2000 years later.

President Jae-in Moon promised to further strengthen 'core human rights' through an amendment draft announced on March 20th 2018. 'Religious freedom' was included within these inherent rights. One's natural right is something a human being has from birth, and it is a universal, fundamental and inalienable right that cannot be restrained by human laws, even with state intervention.

Moreover, the government's support for an organisation like Jeonpyeon, which is committed to 'religious oppression' against people, makes the president out to be a liar. There is serious concern that this issue may lead to an even greater disaster than Covid-19.