Producer of Netflix's cult exposé asks how far religious freedom should go

Television

Published: 10 Mar. 2023, 16:09 Updated: 11 Mar. 2023, 10:03

Producer of Netflix's cult exposé asks how far religious freedom should go

Jeong Myeong-seok, leader of the Jesus Morning Star (JMS) cult, in a photo featured in the Netflix documentary ″In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal″ [NETFLIX]

The level of expression and sensationalism used in the viral Netflix documentary series “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal” was necessary to expose the wrongs and illegality of cult leaders in Korea, the show's main producer Cho Sung-hyun claimed.

Cho clarified the intentions of the production team and justified the making of the documentary series during a press conference held at Lotte Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on Friday and also addressed the death threats and safety concerns surrounding his own family following the show's release.

Main poster for ″In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal″ [NETFLIX]

“In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal,” which was released on March 3, identifies four cult leaders in Korea and sheds light on their abuse of power targeting cult members, including sexual abuse, rape, manipulation and more. The documentary series has caused a storm in the country, with Prosecutor General Lee One-seok declaring a stamp-down on cults within Korea in the aftermath of the public outrage over the revelations in the docuseries. “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal” topped domestic rankings on Netflix and currently remains in the top five shows on the streaming service chart.

Critics have pointed out that the level of provocation and the sensational nature of the documentary, which includes raw transcripts containing depictions of sexual violence and a nude video, could cause even more social damage. Producer Cho refuted these criticisms Friday.

Main producer Cho Sung-hyun speaks during a press conference about the Netflix documentary series ″In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal″ at Lotte Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on Friday. [NETFLIX]

“I know that these criticisms are being made about the series, and the production team is very aware,” said Cho. “But the fact is that all of what we depict in our documentary actually happened. These atrocious acts took place and are still being perpetrated. This is not fiction, it is not entertainment — the fact is that victims suffered this damage and I hope that we pay attention to this point. The key issue is how to address this problem, not that ‘In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal’ used provocation and sensationalism to expose these facts.”

The events depicted in “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal” were reported by countless news outlets and other documentaries before, but have not been able to garner the same amount of social attention as the Netflix series this time, Cho argued.

“Traditional broadcasters including KBS, SBS and more have reported numerous times on the issue of cults in Korea,” said Cho. “But they have not seemed to be heard well until now. I think that we as a society need to address the matter closely and ask, ‘Is it right to let these people perpetrate such heinous crimes in the name of religion?’ ‘Should religious freedom be above the basic human rights of the victims?’”

Main producer of ″In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal″ Cho Sung-hyun [YONHAP]

Local media have reported on the death threats and safety concerns of not only producer Cho himself but also his family after the release of the hit series.

Cult fanatics and support groups have threatened to attack Cho for the exposé, and a case from 20 years ago when the father of a Dankook University professor who spoke out against a cult leader and called for active investigation got assaulted was brought up as an anecdotal concern. Cho also addressed these issues.

“I cannot say I am not concerned and detached from the possibility of an attack on my family or myself,” said Cho. “I have two children, and every day when they go to school I find myself worrying. But I do believe that Korea is a country more civilized and different from 20 years ago when that attack on Prof. Kim Do-hyung took place. I have security personnel with me today, and that shows the level of threats I am currently receiving.”

Dankook University professor Kim Do-hyung speaks in the Netflix documentary ″In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal.″ Kim has been actively speaking out against cults in Korea and has received death threats for his activism, with his own father being attacked 20 years ago. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Cult advocacy groups have filed a request for an injunction to stop the release of “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal” on Netflix in February. The Seoul Western District Court turned down the request that a fringe sect Christian Gospel Mission, better known as JMS (Jesus Morning Star) made against MBC, one of the main production companies for the documentary, on March 3.

JMS leader Jeong Myeong-seok is one of the four cult leaders featured in “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal.” He served 10 years for sexually assaulting several female followers and is standing trial on the same charges after being released in 2018.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]