[Statement of victims and families of coercive conversion program -5] “Lying that grandmother is sick... Mobile phone was taken out and arrived at Island village”

[Statement of victims and families of coercive conversion program -5] “Lying that grandmother is sick... Mobile phone was taken out and arrived at Island village”

[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: gettyimage

• At the time of coercive conversion, family being extremely damaged
• “My mother running away, father living alone and sister leaving of absence”
• 
  

Churches of existing denomination and officials who are running coercive conversion programs devise a way to force those who refuse the program. And those who do this are the families of the subjects who believe other denominations so called "cult" and the subjects are being targeted. Families who believe 100% of those who propose coercive conversion programs learn that they do not communicate with the subjects targeted. And the victim complained of imprisonment refusing conversation mobilizing lies and coercive measure and said "They force coercive conversion called 'heresy counseling'." The coercive conversion program produces family breakdown. Here is one who has been damaged in this way. This is a story of a strong young man currently attending university. The following is the appeal of Kim Jong Chul (anonym) who is attending Dong A University. 

Hello. I am 26-year-old Kim Jong Chul (anonym) who is a student at Dong A University living in Sa Sang Gu, Busan. 

Reference: Cheonji Daily

I went to a coercive conversion program around last fall. I had only heard about it and I thought it was a story of different world. However, surprisingly it happened to me. I started to attend Shincheonji church from July 2019. On September 23, my parents found out that I was attending Shincheonji church. Without checking a matter of fact, they quietly prepared a coercive conversion program by being drawn by the internet and the phone call of a coercive conversion pastor. The content of the coercive conversion pastor's call is ▲ since people from Shincheonji can come, remodel the house to block access or seek a third place that cannot be reached ▲ in order to move the sone to the place of confinement without any doubt, pretend being urgent saying a relative has an accident ▲ the way to take away a mobile phone and ▲ the way to make the subject agree with a coercive conversion program. One day, I was taken to a coercive conversion program at dawn after time passed without me knowing anything. The following is the case log. 

◆ Monday, September 30, 2019...  family lies and kidnapping

It was 6 am. My mother woke me up and said that my grandmother has a car accident and it is urgent. So, we need to go to the hospital in Yang San ASAP.

My mother called a taxi shaking, crying and babbling. My parents and I were going out of the house to catch a taxi. When I went down, my sister who is living in Seoul came down to Busan and was waiting for us. My mother pretended that she left her cell phone and asked me to lend. My mother was talking on the phone with my sister and went back to the house to find her cell phone. 

And she pretended that she left my cell phone accidentally. After that, we took a taxi with my phone taken out. The taxi was going to somewhere. I thought we were going to the hospital where my grandmother was. But a taxi arrived at the front of a house in a remote place with a paddy field around. I found out later that the place was an island. At that time, I was so surprised and in a daze. So, I thought my grandmother came here and did not doubt. When I entered the house, there were a lot of households that I used at my home. The house was a small house with a living room and a room. 

And I asked my father and said "When is my grandmother coming?" And my father said "come here and sit down." Only then I noticed something strange. I asked my sister to lend me a cell phone to check something. And she said "Why, what are you trying to do?" and never lend me a phone.

First, I tried to talk to my family. I figured out why I came here and explained how I went to Shincheonji church and about Shincheonji church. I said what my parents try to do now is confinement that restrains my freedom of body. Let's go out and talk. However, my family's request was to take a coercive conversion program. 

My family members said "If I don't take the course, we would stay for a week and even a month. I said that I would like to take the course in an open place rather than a confined place. And since I was sick at that time, I asked to send me a hospital. But I saw the medicine delivered. 

After that, I tried to escape once. However, my arms and legs were caught by my parents and my sister. I figured they would never let me go unless I take it. So, I said I would take it. Instead, when I took a course, I asked them to send me home. On the condition that they would finish it in the morning, my sister contacted the evangelist who is in charge of a coercive conversion program and made an appointment for the next morning. 

◆ Tuesday, October 1, 2019... Bullying of the evangelist in confinement

In the morning, around 10 o'clock, a person called an evangelist came and started a coercive conversion program with my family present at the scene. Until 14 o'clock, the harassed me with the materials they prepared for four hours without rest. And I was able to rest around lunch time. 

While eating meals with my family and the evangelist, what the evangelist says was different from the promise my family made with me. The evangelist said that they would continue till 17 o'clock which is 3 more hours. Also, I had to take at least 5 times a week which is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. 

Originally, my body was in a bad condition. I felt so bad after I was brainwashed for 4 hours. So, I begged them to send me to a hospital. However, the evangelist and my parents who received an order didn't let me go. 

Finally, when my family is eating and the level of guard is low, I kicked out the door and managed to escape. With the help of a few people, I was able to escape the island. 

For the next few days, I left home and lived. What I learned later was that my family also struggled over what to do with me and my mother left home and came back. 

A coercive conversion program which only hurts our family and leaves nothing was finished like that. However, at home, atmosphere of being peaceful was disappeared and we feel a little uncomfortable and awkward. 

As I went through this, at first, I would not believe if my grandmother is sick. I became traumatized thinking of the incident. The coercive conversion pastor's trick is vicious. 

Like voice phishing, they made me lose my judgement lying my family is sick. My mother left home and came after I escaped from the place where I was imprisoned. My father was staying home alone. And my sister left work at that time. However, no one compensated for this damage.

At that time, I had the regret towards my family for this incident. However, it was because of the money grabbing by coercive conversion pastors consequently. I am so upset that my family has such an irreplaceable painful memory. 

At that time, I was dragged to an unknown island under unprotected circumstance. I was so scared since I didn't know what would happen. I feel so sand and terrible that this thing is happening in Korea in this era of 2020. Fortunately, I escaped in two days and living life. However, at this time and this moment, in some places, someone is making money under the name of a coercive conversion program. And it worries me. 

I sincerely hope that incidents like me and Gu Ji In who lost her life in a coercive conversion program will no longer take place on this earth. 

Reference : https://bit.ly/3dHKH9d