7th October, the day for victims of Coercive Conversion Program

7th Oct., Victims of Coercive Conversion Day

 

 

  7th Oct., Victims of Coercive Conversion Day was held by Human Rights association against Coercive Conversion (HAC) in the front of Bosingak Pavilion, Seoul, South Korea on 7th Oct. 2019, 14:00~16:00 (UTC+9). The purpose of the event is to commemorate the memory of late Ms. Gu Ji-in and Mrs. Kim Sun-hwa who unfortunately died of the coercive conversion and to call for revealing the reality of the coercive conversion to the world hoping no more victims of the conversion.

 

 

  HAC is where the people who are victims of the coercive conversion gather and do campaigns against the conversion for religious freedom. The coercive conversion is an act forcing to chance one’s religion with neglecting religious freedom by several conversion pastors who belong to the Christian Council of Korea which is representative Christian group of South Korea. This conversion pastors have managed the Korean Christian Heterodox Counsellor and they only want to make money ignoring the conscience of believer. The damage caused by them is : 1,338 leave of absence from school or work, 13 forced hospitalization to psychiatric hospital, 3 killing and so on. Although the Coercive Conversion Programs spread out, the Korean government only walk on eggshells and acquiesce it.

 

  But in many countries around the world, campaigns against the coercive conversion and for religious freedom is happening. As an example, the coercive conversion in the Republic of Korea was officially criticized at “Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom” held in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. which about 100 governments and about 500 groups (NGOs and religious organizaitons) participated in. And in 7th Oct., Victims of Coercive Conversion Day, Willy Fautré, the representative of Human Rights Without Frontiers, referred that he supported this ceremony because he want religious freedom and the coercive conversion was a criminal act.

 

  The sister of late Mrs. Kim Sun-hwa said “To prevent the repetition of innocent blood loss like my sister's, I will tell your unjust story to the world more and resolve your deep sorrow at any cost until the human rights abuse and violence by coercive conversion disappear.” telling the story of Mrs. Kim who was unjustly killed by the conversion. In addition, Park Sang-ik, the representative of HAC, mentioned that he regretted the reality of the coercive conversion occurring in South Korea, the country of liberal democracy, and wanted no more victims of the conversion. 

 

 

  The ceremony progressed while lots of members of HAC and citizens shouted the chants for the prohibition of the Coercive Conversion Programs. I hope the Korean government and media spread this truth so that the conversion pastors can no longer stand in this world.