"Presidential Citation Awarded to World Mission Society Church of God Faces Major Controversy"

The Kukmin Ilbo reported on June 2 that the World Mission Society Church of God (formerly the Witnesses of Ahnsahnghong), which received a presidential citation last month, was ineligible due to a critical violation of the "Government Award Guidelines." The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) failed to adequately verify the organization’s eligibility before granting the citation. Although the MOF acknowledged its oversight, it claimed that revoking the award would be difficult.

The presidential citation was presented during the 20th Sea Day Merit Award Ceremony held on May 8 at the Government Complex in Sejong City. The MOF recognized the church for its “significant contributions to national industrial development through marine industry promotion.”

The World Mission Society Church of God nominated itself for the award in February, highlighting activities such as free meal services during the Sewol ferry disaster and beach clean-up campaigns. After receiving the award, the church launched a large-scale promotional campaign, hanging banners at its locations nationwide declaring “Presidential Award Winner (Group Citation)” and placing advertisements on the front pages of major newspapers. Online posts claimed, “The presidential award proves the falsehood of allegations made by the Victims’ Family Association of the World Mission Society Church of God.”

However, under the "Government Award Guidelines" issued by the Ministry of Interior and Safety, group citations are reserved for institutions or organizations with “outstanding achievements in a specific field or significant contributions to the interests and development of the nation.” Moreover, entities under investigation or subject to public controversy, such as unfavorable media coverage, are explicitly restricted from receiving awards. The MOF’s guidelines for the Sea Day awards also state that “nominees subject to social criticism are excluded.”

Despite these rules, the MOF failed to conduct thorough vetting. Reports from Kukmin Ilbo, CBS, and other outlets over the past year labeled the World Mission Society Church of God as a “socially controversial, anti-social religious group linked to divorce and family abandonment.” Furthermore, Jang Gil-ja, who is revered as “Mother God” by the church, was under prosecution for violations related to fundraising regulations in her capacity as president of the International WeLoveU Foundation.

An MOF official admitted, “We checked with the police, but no criminal record was found. However, we failed to verify media reports about the church, which was our oversight.” Despite this admission, the MOF stated that it could not revoke the citation. Another official added, “It was only after the award ceremony that we learned the church was classified as a heretical group. We have since asked them to refrain from leveraging the award for promotional purposes.”

However, the church has continued to promote the citation on its website, claiming, “This presidential award holds even greater value as it was granted after thorough investigation and verification under stricter government criteria.” A church leader commented, “If there is an issue, it’s the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ fault, not ours.”

The "Government Award Guidelines" state that if a recipient is later deemed ineligible, such as if their achievements are found to be falsified, the award may be subject to cancellation under Article 8, Paragraph 1 of the Decorations Act.

Reporter Baek Sang-hyun
Email: 100sh@kmib.co.kr

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