[Statement of victims and families of coercive conversion program-4] “Feeding sleeping pills to kidnap and assault... coercive conversion program forcing leave of absence"

[Statement of victims and families of coercive conversion program-4] “Feeding sleeping pills to kidnap and assault... coercive conversion program forcing leave of absence"

[The unfamiliar word 'coercive conversion' has become an issue in our society since pastor Jin Yong Sik confined Jeong Baek Hyang to a mental hospital for the purpose of conversion in 2008. And he was sentenced in the court. At that time, pastor Jin was in charge of heresy counseling for Christian Council of Korea (CCK). Pastor Jin conducted coercive conversion program to people who attend the so-called 'heresy' including religion of Jung. After that, cases of coercive conversion began to become an issue. At the beginning, pastors stepped in and conducted coercive conversion. However, now the method has changed. First of all, coercive conversion pastors stimulate the fear and anxiety of the targeted believers and its families by slandering targeted denomination. And those families become to believe that their beloved children, wives and parents will make extreme choices due to falling into heresy. To prevent this, coercive conversion programs including illegal acts such as kidnapping, confinement and violence become 'only solution' to save their families. Due to those lies, coercive conversion is still occurring in Korea where freedom of religion is recognized in the 21st century. This article intends to serialize the tearful appeal of victims and families who have no place to complain even if human rights are violated and oppressed by coercive conversion program.]

Reference: pixabay

My mother's attitude changes due to delusion caused by businessman of coercive conversion

Handcuffed, cursed and bruised

Police looks away saying "It doesn't matter since this is family problem."

Being kicked out and ended up with wandering from place to place for 28 days

Lee Sang Hoon (anonymity, male) is a victim of family breakdown since he was dragged into coercive conversion program 4 years ago due to officials at the heresy coming between him and his family. His parents fed sleeping pills to Lee to force him into coercive conversion program. He became fainted and kidnapped to a pension being handcuffed. What was waiting for him was the consent form to agree participating in coercive conversion program and his family who was outrageous. And, there was a coercive conversion pastor behind. He recently had to come up with a nightmare he didn't want to think about due to Coronavirus crisis while being criticized for being heresy. The following is Lee's appeal.

“An ordinary college student until his mother met a coercive conversion pastor”

Recently, due to the corona19 crisis, Shincheonji church is i n a lot of controversy and damage caused by fake news. When looking at the witch hunt and the damage caused by the fake news towards Shincheonji, the nightmare about 4 years ago comes back. 

I am a member of Shincheonji church who attended Shincheonji church since January 2015 and have heard that Shincheonji is heresy, crime group and anti-national, anti-religious group. Our family was family where discord never stopped and the fights between parents never ceased until high school and eventually divorced. 

However, when I was back in college, peace at home was restored. My mother encouraged me to believe in me and we were peaceful and ordinary. I was the second son of this one family. 

I no longer wanted to lose the peace of my family. Also, I was a believer who hoped my whole family live together in Heaven. 

And I was more and more devoted to my studies practicing faith at Shincheonji church. Like the words to become the light and salt of the world, I have determined to prepare to take responsibility both my parents and economy in the future. I was a very ordinary college student who had been working harder and harder at college getting a senior scholarship from college. 

On 2nd half of 2015, within 3 months after I joined Shincheonji church, my parents found out that I was attending Shincheonji church. And my parents eventually met a pastor who is in charge of coercive conversion program. 

To be precise, I met the counselor call 'Joo' at Ansan Sang Nok church. He deceived my mother as if Shincheonji is the most evil of the pseudo heretics. Due to this, my mother became even more violent. 

In addition, my mother became more violent than ever by meeting a businessman of coercive conversion. Then, the incident broke out on January 16, 2016. My mother fed me sleeping pills and bound my limbs with handcuffs taking me to a place of coercive conversion program. 

My mother took me to a pension in Yeong Heung Do Island, Incheon. In that place, my mother looked at me and said "If you are converted, you will leave here.".  My mother handcuffed my arm with her arm to force coercive conversion program saying "This is the only string of love that connects you and me.". 

In doing so, she did not hesitate to say curse words about Shincheonji and chairman of Shicheonji treating me like an animal. She forced me a coercive conversion screaming saying "Lee (chairman of Shincheonji) son of a bitch."

Who made my mother like this? Until my mother met a coercive conversion pastor, she didn't swear words like this. Why our peace between families should be broken just for the reason that I am attending Shincheonji? 

Moreover, I had to be forcibly taken to coercive conversion program without graduating from college. My mother also said "It is more important to take you out of Shincheonji rather than studying." So, I had to drop out of the school. 

Being handcuffed, confined, kidnapped, imprisoned, forced to drop out of the school, ruining my family and things that might have happened to the gang happed to me. 

Who is it for? It is because of a businessman of coercive conversion. After about 5 days, I was forced to sign the consent from because I couldn't win my parents and coercive conversion program had been started. 

About 12 days have passed. If I show any disobedience, my parents and my sister made me lay down bending over my arms and forced me to receive coercive conversion program. 

A coercive conversion pastor kept scolding me saying 'Don't play with me.' even though he was talking nonsense.

About 27 days has passed. And I decided to escape. However, my parents chased me with the police and the police dog and I was caught by them. 

At that time, I saw a delinquency of duties by the police at Yeong Heung police station. I showed them a bruised wound on my butt saying "Please save me, please take me out. I was confined and handcuffed.". The police said "Don't you see why they are doing this? I also received corporal punishment when I was young. This is a religious problem. It is a family problem and this is none of my business." and left without doing nothing.

Do you think this is a lie? I have a photographic evidence taken at that time. 

Finally, after 28 days passed, because I was kicked out by my parents, I ended up wandering from place to place.  

28 days which is trauma for me... Still, under the name of heresy counseling Chongshin university states saying "If it is Shincheonji which is heresy, kidnap, confine and assault is allowed." Even in the media, there are replies saying "Person who leak their personal information needs to be rewarded rather than punished." When I read those replies, I am still upset. 

When I think of those who are still suffering from human rights abused like me, I am upset. 

Coercive conversion is a matter of human rights. Please help me so that there are no more victims like me. 

Reference : https://bit.ly/2Bt3FTo