Kukmin Ilbo Confirms: "World Mission Society Church of God = Doomsday Cult" Through Lawsuit

Kukmin Ilbo’s two-year legal battle against the World Mission Society Church of God (formerly the Witnesses of Ahn Sahng-hong), which involved a ₩640 million damages claim, has yielded a significant outcome: it conclusively established that the group is a doomsday cult.

When believers fall into the doomsday theology of cult groups, there is often a high likelihood of side effects such as financial donations, abandonment of homes, divorce, or the cessation of studies, work, or parenting. After all, if the end of the world is imminent, there seems little reason to maintain a normal life.

The World Mission Society Church of God has repeatedly claimed that the end of the world was near but has consistently denied proposing any doomsday prophecy. Even during the lawsuit with Kukmin Ilbo, the church denied ever promoting such ideas. The reason for this denial is clear: admitting to advocating doomsday theology would brand the organization as a socially harmful cult in South Korea and could lead to mass lawsuits from affected members.

To defend its position, the church hired the prominent law firm LKB & Partners (led by attorney Lee Kwang-beom) for the appeal, showcasing its determination to avoid the label of a doomsday group.

However, the Supreme Court’s 3rd Division, presided over by Justice Kim Shin, upheld the lower court ruling, definitively stating that the World Mission Society Church of God had indeed promoted doomsday theology in 1988, 1999, and 2012. The court based its decision on materials including Ahn Sahng-hong’s writings, surveys conducted by the church’s education department, publications like 144,000, and a study titled Research on the State of New Religions Among Koreans. Consequently, the court dismissed all of the church’s claims for damages and demands for corrections or rebuttal reports.

However, the court did partially accept the church's rebuttal concerning secondary matters, stating that "the phenomena of women abandoning families, divorcing, or neglecting children are not frequent" and that "there is no evidence that fear was deliberately incited to expand the congregation." This acknowledges that while the church did advocate doomsday theology, the exact correlation between such teachings and instances of abandonment, divorce, or fear-induced expansion may vary.

Professor Heo Ho-ik of Daejeon Theological University commented, “The Supreme Court has identified the World Mission Society Church of God as a socially harmful cult that promotes doomsday theology. Doomsday teachings lead to social deviance, such as the abandonment of families, workplaces, and education, and ultimately undermine societal order. These teachings must be critically examined and opposed.”

Attorney Heo Yoon of Yeyul Law Firm, who represented Kukmin Ilbo, highlighted the broader implications of the ruling: “This Supreme Court decision underscores the high level of protection afforded to religiously motivated journalism compared to general reporting. It also reaffirms the principle of maximum freedom in criticizing religious practices.”

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