Pseudo-religions Spreading

31 year-old Ms. Lee left her home and entered a mission in Kyonggi province last January. A 'priest' in charge of the center said to her, 'The apocalypse is imminent. Unless you renounce your former sins, you cannot be helped with God's judgment.'
Lee lodged together with 15 male and female people at a small boarding house. She said, 'We made 400 to 500 tapes and shipped them. Some people cleaned priest Kim's house and even cooked for him.' According to her, priest Kim said, 'Only I am a true servant of God. Other people tell only lies. You have to abandon your families to be saved.' Additionally, the people in this center were required to donate millions of won.
Pseudo-religions or cults are spreading due to the sluggish economy after the IMF bailout. Tak Ji Won, the head of International Religion Affairs Institue said, 'The number of telephone calls for counseling increased by 40% to on average 40 to 50 a day. Recently, a small pseudo-religion is growing in numbers. The Yongsaeng (eternal life) Church, in which 7 people committed mass suicide on October 5, is a typical pseudo-religion.' These cults preach that 'Apocalypse 1999' is approaching, taking advantage of the depressed social atmosphere.