[The following is a conversation between "Observer" (pseudonym), who held the 7th highest rank in the World Mission Society Church of God, and Pastor Woo Won-kwang, a favored confidant of Ahn Sahng-hong. This exchange sheds light on the actions of Jang Gil-ja and Kim Joo-cheol following Ahn Sahng-hong's sudden stroke.]

Conversation Transcript

Observer: What exactly happened that day? You mentioned that people from Seoul arrived at Maryknoll Hospital on the evening of February 24, 1985.

W: The people in Busan were caught completely off guard by the sudden events. That evening, the teacher (Ahn Sahng-hong) was still receiving emergency care at the hospital. Later that night, I saw Kim Joo-cheol and Evangelist Jang Gil-ja arrive at the hospital. They asked me about the situation, and I told them to speak with the doctor.

Observer: So he was still alive at that time?

W: Yes, but he had lost consciousness after collapsing earlier in the day. He was unable to speak or wake up. The doctor said there was no hope. After hearing the doctor’s prognosis, Evangelist Jang called Kim Joo-cheol aside, and I overheard their conversation in a hallway of the hospital.

Observer: What did they talk about?

W: I happened to be nearby, so I could hear everything. They were panicking, saying it was a huge problem. They had been teaching the members that they would ascend to heaven with the teacher when the world ended in 1988. They said it would be a disaster if the teacher passed away suddenly. I heard Jang instruct Kim to go back to Seoul immediately and “handle” the congregation. Kim left for Seoul that very night and didn’t return to Busan until after the funeral was over.

W: Later, I heard that the teachings in Seoul had been heavily focused on the end-times prophecy. They must have been teaching it differently from what we were saying in Busan. That night, they were in such a panic that Kim was sent straight back to Seoul to manage the congregation. The belief that the teacher would ascend with them in 1988 had been deeply ingrained. His sudden death created a crisis, and they needed to take action to stabilize the church.

Observer: Kim Joo-cheol told me that the teacher gave him ceremonial robes and instructed him to take good care of Evangelist Jang Gil-ja as the “Mother.” He said this was the teacher’s final will before leaving for Busan. Kim also claimed he didn’t initially understand what it meant but later realized it was to prepare for the teacher’s ascension. Jang also said she knew he would pass away but kept it secret, even from Kim. This supposedly happened shortly before the teacher’s death.

W: Does that even make sense? What did I hear them say in Busan on February 24? Jang Gil-ja was clearly worried, saying it would be a disaster if the teacher passed away. If the teacher had given them such specific instructions or shared a secret with Jang, why would Kim have been preaching about ascending with the teacher in 1988? And why would Jang have allowed Kim to continue preaching that?

Observer: That’s true. Jang Gil-ja’s actions, being so distressed and sending Kim back to Seoul, don’t align with the story she tells. She cunningly lies, saying the teacher handed her the church as proof by giving her a photo. But it’s clear she sent Kim to calm the congregation and cover things up.

W: If it were just about retrieving a photo, Kim would have returned to Busan the next day. But he didn’t come back until after the funeral. That’s clearly a lie.

Reflection

This conversation reveals the discrepancies and manipulative strategies employed by Jang Gil-ja and Kim Joo-cheol following Ahn Sahng-hong’s sudden passing. Their actions point to an effort to maintain control over the congregation and preserve their positions of authority rather than fulfilling any supposed final wishes of the deceased.