US Pew Research Center pays attention to the murder victim of members of Shincheonji due to coercive conversion... “Religious hostility in Korea greatly rises”
According to a research report recently published by the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit research organization in the United States, Korea is one of two countries with a significant rise in religious hostility. On the basis of that, Pew Research introduced that more than 120,000 people protested against the coercive conversion after reports that a couple killed their daughter while trying to forcibly convert their daughter' religion came out in Korea. The deceased daughter was Gu Ji In, a member of Shincheonji. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the international society has paid attention to the murder caused by coercive conversion against Shincheonji members.
The Gu Ji In case did not receive much attention in Korea due to “family affairs” and “religious issues”. In particular, the case of Gu Ji In was killed because she was a member of the Shincheonji Church that the vested denominations of Korean Christianity rejected. On the other hand, The active protests and messages of the Shincheonji Church received more attention from abroad. This writing retraces the circumstances in which the international society has paid attention to coercive conversion in Korea.
The incident which triggered attention to the international society was '2018 Gu Ji In case'. This incident served as an opportunity to inform the world about the reality of Korea's forced conversion.
To summarize the incident, The late Gu Ji In was imprisoned by his family in a Catholic monastery in Jangseong-gun, Jeollanam-do for 44 days in July 2016, and was forced to convert. The following year, in June 2017, she informed the online bulletin board of Blue House about the damages of coercive conversion appealing for punishment for coercive conversion pastors and the enactment of the Religious Discrimination Ban. On December 29 of the same year, she was imprisoned once again at a pension in Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do, and was forced to convert. During process, on the 30th, she was taken to Chonnam National University Hospital for breathing difficulties due to family violence. But unfortunately, she died of hypoxic brain injury on January 9, 2018.
Afterwards, on the bulletin board of the Blue House National Petition, a writing urging the enactment of the "Coercive Conversion Prohibition Act” was posted and more than 140,000 people agreed. But the article was suddenly deleted because it contained the victim's personal information.
◆ In Korea, protests of hundreds of thousands of people 'disregarded'
The fact of the death of Gu Ji In was known as the Forced Conversion Victims Human Rights Solidarity (called Kang Pi-yeon) and the Shincheonji Church protest against coercive conversion in Korea. The protests that took place in major 6 metropolitan cities were carried out on a large scale, with hundreds of thousands of people appealing the injustice of coercive conversion. People in abroad also participated.
On February 1, in Pretoria, South Africa, about 1,000 people participated in a demonstration in memory of Gu Ji In. On the 18th of the same month (local time) in New York, more than 100 members of human rights groups held a protest against coercive conversion.
Foreign media reported the news immediately. It was contrary to the fact that the domestic media did not pay much attention. On February 19th, 221 US media including 3 major broadcasters NBC, CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) and ABC outlets under the title of "South Korea: The Olympic Games Amid Large-Scale Human Rights Protests" reported the death of the late Gu Ji In and the massive human rights movement held in Korea and abroad.
The US media said "Whenever Koreans historically demanded a change, large-scale protests were held referring to the protests for the prohibition of coercive conversion at Gwanghwamun Square.
The US media also said "In 1987, 1.2 million Korean workers fought for democracy and unions. At the end of 2016, millions of people gathered with candles calling for the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye. There was another wave of large-scale protests at the place with candles.
The people are petitioning to protect the freedom of religion specified in Article 20 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. On January 28, 120,000 people from all over the country, including Seoul, participated in the protests petitioning the Act on the Prohibition of Forced Conversion.
After the report, in Korea, representatives of the six major religion including Christianity, Buddhism, and Confucianism made a joint statement calling for “enactment of a law against forced conversion,” along with 300 religious leaders. On March 14, two weeks after the protests, Religious leaders, including President Joseph Jeong, the first general meeting of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, issued a "Joint Statement to urge the enactment of international laws based on the DPCW to eradicate religious discrimination."
◆ Overseas media drawing attention to New York Times advertisement
The foreign media once again paid attention. This is because American citizens voluntarily raised funds and posted an advertisement for “forbidden to convert” in the New York Times.
This is an advertisement in which citizens re-examine the related incident in the first cycle of the death of Mrs. Gu. 185 overseas media outlets, including ABC (American Broadcasting Co.)6, CBS (Colombia Broadcasting System)8, and FOX (Fox News Channel)34, published the content of advertisements.
The reason why the media showed such interest in the New York Times paper advertisement was that it was dealing with social issues with human life, not just product advertisements.
Overseas media cited the New York Times advertising ban on coercive conversion published in Cheonji Daily and reported the death of Gu Ji In. In particular, ABC6 introduced that there was an attempt to conceal this unfair case in Korea highlighting the case of Gu Ji In who became a victim of forced conversion. ABC6 introduced that it was introduced that the advertisement could be carried out by collecting donations with the voluntary support of citizens.
CBS8 also emphasized that after the death of Gu Ji In campaigns and resolution meetings to eradicate coercive conversion were held one after another in 23 cities in 15 countries and media from 33 foreign countries actively reported them.
FOX34 explained that "Fortunately, as a result of the international media community coming together, a lot of attention has been focused on human rights violations caused by coercive conversion.
In January 2019, Religious leaders in Australia and the Philippines made a point against coercive conversion. A local pastor in Australia delivered a strong message saying it was a letter to be sent to the UN Human Rights Council.
At that time, in Sydney, Australia, the event of alliance of religions’ peace office was held under the theme of “Religious World Without Discrimination, Religious Leaders as One”. At the event, About 370 people attended, including 30 religious leaders and audience from 7 religion including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Khaodai. Rev. Nelson Perbazi, a theology department at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, who said he was serving as a pastor in Australia and Pakistan read a letter saying that he would send it to the UN Human Rights Council.
◆ Human rights ‧ citizens and academic organizations showing interests
In July, the UN Human Rights Council issued a statement to ‘Eradication of forced conversion’. After the second death in the process of forced conversion in 2007 and 2018, as the government was taking inaction consistently, major overseas NGOs (non-governmental organizations) came out and issued such a statement at the United Nations in the end. And it gave great significance.
The European CAP-LC attended the 41st United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland that day, and officially released a statement condemning the coercive conversion against members of the Shincheonji Church.
In the same month, at the ‘Ministerial Meeting for the Promotion of Religious Freedom’ held at the US State Department Washington D.C. a case presentation was held officially criticizing coercive conversion in Korea.
The meeting, which was held by governments from about 100 countries and 500 NGOs and religious groups, was attended by US Vice President Mike Pence, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sam Brownback, Ambassador for International Religious Freedom. During the meeting schedule, in the International Religious Freedom Roundtables Program, a case of human rights violations caused by coercive conversion to believers of new rising religion in South Korea was announced.
The attendees of the meeting strongly criticized the Korean government for the situation hat the police and courts were on the lookout despite the fact that the so-called heretical counseling pastors in Korea are trying to forcibly convert through confinement and assault, conspiring kidnapping with families of victims who are believers of new rising religion.
Also, at this meeting, 15 major international NGOs released letters to President Moon Jae-in saying "Korea is the only democratic country where coercive conversion is tolerated. To eradicate forced conversion, they Urged the government of the Republic of Korea to take measures."
As a global consensus on coercive conversion was formed, religious scholars began to show interest. 4 months later on November,
Overseas scholars in the field of religion and human rights visited Korea urging the abolition regarding 'coercive conversion" in action showing intolerance and discrimination due to The vested religious field is on the lookout for new rising religion.
The Center for New Religious Studies (CESNUR) Human Rights Without Borders (HRWF) hosted “Intolerance and Discrimination Against New Religious Movements: International Issues (Academic Seminar).”At this meeting, various controversies and conclusions were examined, and directions for future responses were also suggested from anti-heresy movements to brainwashing conducted by vested religions against new rising religion.
In particular, representative of Massimo Introvinñe, founder of the New Religious Research Center, an Italian sociologist pointed out the current situation from the founding of the Shincheonji Church which is the most persecuted in Korea among new religions throwing the topic of “coercive conversion". In this regard, representative Massimo has already submitted a human rights report urging the UN to abolish coercive conversion acknowledging seriousness of coercive conversion.
As the international community is paying attention, the content of the Pew Research Center research report is expected to be a barometer informing that the awareness of domestic members needs to be improved regarding the freedom of religion specified in the Constitution of the Republic of Korea.
Reference: https://bit.ly/341RIzy
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