[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] A pastor of Bitgwa Jinri Church, who was prosecuted for committing cruel acts such as forcing church members to eat feces, was sentenced to 2 years in prison in the first trial.
On the 14th, Shin Sang-ryeol, presiding judge of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Northern District Court, sentenced Pastor Kim Myung-jin (64), who was indicted for aiding and abetting coercion and violating the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Private Institutes and Private Tutoring, to 2 years in prison. Church officials Choi (46) and Kim (49), who were also indicted for coercion, were sentenced to 1 year and 10 months in prison, respectively. However, all of them avoided detention in court.
The court explained the sentencing by stating, "Some of the training devised by the defendant consists of content that is unacceptable not only to people of faith but also to those who practice religious life," and "Some church members suffered serious mental damage, including loss of self-esteem, as well as physical harm during the implementation process." Furthermore, the court added, "Even if they participated voluntarily, it cannot be considered within the scope protected by religious freedom," and "Even if they attended voluntarily, the defendant's culpability cannot be mitigated."
Pastor Kim is accused of devising religious group leader selection training from May 2017 to October 2018 and neglecting the cruel acts committed by church officials Choi and Kim. It was investigated that in May 2018, Choi and others forced training participants to eat feces and subjected them to various cruel acts such as enduring a hot kiln and being beaten. There are a total of four victims. Additionally, Pastor Kim is also charged with establishing and operating private institutes without registering with the education superintendent from March 2016 to April 2020.
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