Coercive Conversion Program Destroys Human Rights of New Religious Believers in South Korea -1

Coercive Conversion Program Destroys Human Rights of New Religious Believers in South Korea -1

 

 

  The coercive conversion program, which makes victims take sleeping pills and wear handcuffs, ropes, and eye patches and brings them to “a third place.” In South Korea which has religious freedom, conversion is not illegal. But if a conversion has kidnapping, imprisonment, and assault, it is completely changed. It can be illegal with criminal punishment if with some clauses of criminal laws. However, in South Korea, coercive conversion program is not punished by justifying “family.” Rather, some reports which support families who try compulsory means tend to spruce up the illegal act.

 

◆ Conniving the facts that coercive conversion uses sleeping pills and handcuffs

 

 

  At 29 last month, Korean MBC re-illuminated a Shincheonji member A who appears on MBC PD Notebook in 2007 through a program that famous entertainers appear. At that time, A had extreme troubles with his family due to coercive conversion program.

 

  He who had strong faith to Shincheonji was 20 years old but is 40 years old now. His family used illegal means to convert him and to take the program compulsory. His older brother who had appeared the broadcast admitted the criminal fact, saying, “We made him take a sleep pill, wear handcuffs, and kidnapped him.” It is victims’ evidences that coercive conversion program is a method that conversion pastors who are in so-called the Heterodox Counselor instigate victims’ families for victims to participate in the program. It seems that the broadcast proved this fact again. A shocking confession was broadcasted that one family tried to use compulsory means with bondage to bring a victim to coercive conversion.

 

  But the broadcast connived the damage that A had human rights violation by this action. Rather, it explained that A was a person who had abnormally religious activity. After broadcasting slanders of public eye against Shincheonji Church, it intensively illuminated his family’s side opposed to his faith. It described his religious activities that he chose his religion according to his belief and was satisfied with the religion as “He wastes his life” through his family’s position. the host of the broadcast agreed with this. The media outlet could not avoid the criticism of losing neutrality of the press by representing one side.

    

◆ Only frowning despite his effort to overcome the trouble with his family

 

 

  What faults does he have to his family except his religious activity ever? A was having a sincere life by helping his parents who did farming in rural area while he did religious activities as a Shincheonji believer. There was no resentment of him about his family who had broken a law by kidnapping with sleeping pills and handcuffs.

 

  Even, though he got no consent of wedding for the reason that his object of marriage was a Shincheonji member, he, rather, fulfilled his duties as a son worrying his family.

 

  It seems that what he wanted to his family was to admit his faith and peace of his family. Regardless of his appeal over 10 years, his family have not acknowledged his faith yet. Reporters of Korean MBC finished their reports that victims were family. The number of Shincheonji congregation is 300,000 and that of their families is 750,000, but the reporters’ logic is that all this families have damage.

 

  Isn’t there a solution for discord within the family due to frictions between Shincheonji Church of Jesus and pre-existing churches?

 

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