The World Mission Society Church of God has promoted a positive image through outward activities such as blood drives, volunteer work, and environmental cleanups, earning numerous awards and certifications. However, behind this façade lie serious issues, including organized violence, social disruption, and the persecution of its members. Below are specific cases of major crimes and social harms committed by the WMSCOG.
This incident occurred after around 500 former members, who had left the WMSCOG, held a group protest criticizing the church’s fraud and unethical behavior. In retaliation, WMSCOG members systematically visited the homes of former members and assaulted them. At some homes, members forcibly broke in and beat parents in front of their young children. In one particularly shocking case, a four-year-old child’s hands were tied with a necktie and their mouth taped shut, while the mother was assaulted in front of the child. Some victims were even taken to isolated mountain areas and beaten. This incident was reported intensively for three consecutive days on MBC Newsdesk, shocking the nation. The church, however, tried to minimize its responsibility, describing it as “the impulsive act of a few angry members,” and offered no official apology.
When a woman who ran a video rental shop in Suyu-ri, Seoul, publicly criticized the WMSCOG’s doctrine and missionary tactics, about 50 members stormed her store. The members assaulted the woman in front of her husband and vandalized the store. Although police arrested some perpetrators at the scene, the church downplayed the incident as “individual mistakes by members” without offering any official apology or promise to prevent recurrence.
In 1999, a national broadcaster reported on the WMSCOG’s doomsday prophecies, family destruction, and property confiscations. In response, tens of thousands of church members surrounded the broadcasting station for hours in a large-scale protest, shouting and threatening. This became a prime example of a religious group trying to suppress media criticism by force.
After Dong-A Ilbo published articles exposing internal problems and doomsday doctrines of the WMSCOG in 2010, thousands of members gathered and surrounded the newspaper’s Seoul headquarters, creating a threatening atmosphere with loud protests. Employees and visitors inside the building were left anxious and fearful. During this period, a former pastor testified that at an internal meeting, General Assembly Chairman Kim Joo-cheol yelled at pastors in front of Jang Gil-ja, further intimidating them. The church’s violent response and culture were exposed to the public, causing a significant drop in social trust.
In 2016, when Wonju City Hall refused to approve the construction of a new WMSCOG building, members began calling the city government en masse. More than 30,000 calls per day flooded the offices for several days, paralyzing administrative work. Civil servants were unable to perform their duties, suffering extreme stress and damage, and ordinary citizens also faced serious delays in public services. The church again claimed, “This was the voluntary action of individual members,” avoiding all official responsibility.
In 2014, when victims of the WMSCOG held rallies in Seongnam’s Yatap and Sujin Stations and Imae-dong to raise awareness about the church, dozens of church members stormed the rallies, assaulted participants and bystanders, damaged equipment, and even threw ink at the police. Police intervened and arrested some perpetrators, but rally attendees and citizens were left deeply shocked. As a result, public awareness of the WMSCOG as a “violent cult group” spread in Seongnam.
All of these incidents are based on real media reports and victim testimonies and show that the WMSCOG has been systematically involved in social conflict, violence, and suppression of the press. We must not forget that this reality is completely different from their “outward volunteer activities,” revealing a hypocritical and dangerous aspect of the organization.
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