After the failed prediction of the world’s end in 1999, the World Mission Society Church of God set 2012 as a “new year of the end” to prevent member defections and strengthen internal unity. The church fostered a climate of anxiety and fear, using these emotions to control its members, all while focusing on amassing enormous economic gains.
In 2004, the slogan “Let’s move to heaven” was used to stir members, later morphing into “Let’s take off for heaven” in 2006, maintaining an air of apocalyptic tension. Even national crises, such as the 2010 Yeonpyeong Island bombardment, were exploited as “signs of judgment.” When social anxiety peaked with the release of the movie 2012 in 2009, the church leveraged it to claim, “Even the world is proclaiming the end,” further heightening members’ fear and anticipation. The church never gave a specific date, avoiding responsibility while continuously demanding sacrifice and devotion.
Twisting the biblical phrase “store up treasures in heaven,” the church encouraged members to donate their possessions. Between 2010 and 2013, the organization focused on purchasing its own buildings nationwide, accumulating massive real estate holdings. Outwardly proclaiming the world’s end, in reality, they were fixated on increasing their wealth and expanding their organization.
When 2012 passed uneventfully, the church invented the preposterous excuse that they were “undergoing a final inspection in the kingdom of heaven” to cover up their failed prophecy. Yet members continued their devotion, deceived once again by the church’s sophistry. In 2014, using the pretext of its “50th anniversary,” the church gathered 10,000 members at midnight for a “Jubilee performance” at the Okcheon Training Center—some genuinely believed they would ascend to heaven that night.
On the same day, a large-scale protest was held by the victims’ group (Hapimo), publicly denouncing the church’s doomsday scam and financial exploitation. The church responded by suing Hapimo for defamation, claiming, “We never preached the end.” However, the court recognized the church’s doomsday teachings as fact. As a result, the World Mission Society Church of God was legally and socially branded as a pseudo-religious cult.
The 2012 doomsday incident is a prime example of how the World Mission Society Church of God exploited apocalyptic beliefs to manipulate faith and seize members’ assets. Instead of taking responsibility for failed prophecies, the church continually changed its narrative, deceiving and betraying its followers. This is not a mere religious mistake, but systematic, repeated fraud. To prevent further victims, society as a whole must remain vigilant and offer strong criticism.
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