On 24th September 2020, Cheonji Daily published an article entitled, “Although I managed to evade 'coercive conversion' with every pastor in town brought in by fleeing to the army, harassment continued". This is a translation of that article.

The once unknown term 'forced conversion' became a serious topic in South 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.  

Conversion pastors meted out personal attacks before I was moved to a secluded studio in a forest
Refusing to renounce my beliefs and convert, another pastor was then brought in
Although I escaped and enlisted in the army, I was harassed there because of my faith

[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Kang Soo-kyung] Young adults who are forced to renounce their faith and convert due to parental coercion and slander often harbour a great deal of resentment towards what they experienced. It is torturous to have to undergo a ‘programme’ filled with all kinds of slander, hate and discrimination under forcible confinement.

That is truly psychological torment. This is no different for a sturdy young man. In situations in which, regardless of one’s physical strength, one is unable to use physical means against one’s own family, the only option is to escape.

Even if they succeed in escaping and re-join society or enlist in the military, people who have heard all kinds of slander meted out by conversion pastors criticise victims forced to undergo coercive conversion. Yeom Min-cheol (pseudonym, male) of Buk district, Gwangju Metropolitan City, suffered as such a decade ago. His wounds, he says, are deep-rooted. What follows is a full account of Mr. Yeom's appeal.

Hello,

Even though a dozen years have since passed, these memories remain vivid and have scarred me. I hope that ‘coercive conversion’ will soon be eradicated in South Korea, where ‘freedom of religion’ supposedly exists. https://bit.ly/303aTH0

Full Reports on Coercive Conversion