Confession of a Female Bakery Owner with Monthly Sales of 30 Million Won: "It Was JMS"

Famous Bakery Owner Confesses Past on SNS
"Advertised Bakery via JMS" Faces Some Criticism

The bakery owner, famous for the so-called ‘thief pick’ bakery, has caused a stir by revealing that she is a second-generation member of the Christian Gospel Mission (JMS).

Song Seong-rye, the owner of the bakery ‘Sunny Bread,’ recently disclosed through social media (SNS), “In fact, I am a second-generation born in JMS. This is a past I cannot erase or change.”

Song said, “My parents, whom I truly respect, got married in a cult. They believed the leader’s words, raised me and my older brother on a monthly income of 300,000 won, and lived more kindly than anyone else,” but added, “Being kind and having the ability to see the truth are different things.”

CEO Song Seong-rye, who appeared on tvN's 'Young Bosses Who Make Good Money.'
[Photo source=YouTube capture]

She also confessed that she almost became a victim of JMS leader Jeong Myeong-seok. She said, “I believed the truth I learned through JMS until I was 17 years old,” and added, “Fortunately, I grew up in the United States, so I never met the leader and was not deeply involved.”

However, she explained, “A pastor told me that I should become the leader’s bride,” and “I am so grateful that my father got angry and said no at that time.”

Song also revealed the internal atmosphere she experienced as a JMS member. She said, “Second-generation members and churchgoers born here grow up continuously brainwashed and with guilt, even if they avoid sexual assault.”

She added, “Second-generation members are called ‘blessed people’ and are cut off not only from interaction with people in the world but also from the media, and they are not allowed to be alone with the opposite sex anywhere,” and “During adolescence, natural feelings like excitement and curiosity are made to feel guilty.”

Referring to the recently popular Netflix documentary ‘I Am God: People Betrayed by God,’ she said, “I wanted to take this opportunity to speak out freely. I wrote this to add my voice, even a little, to those who courageously appeared in the documentary.” However, she added, “As I grew older, I developed my own identity and became independent (left the group).”

The bakery operated by Song became known as a ‘bakery even thieves love’ after it was revealed in June 2019 that a thief who entered the bakery ate bread for four hours.

She also appeared on tvN’s ‘Young Bosses Who Make Good Money’ last year, revealing that one store’s monthly sales were 30 million won and that she operates eight such stores.

However, after Song’s confession, some netizens have expressed discomfort on her SNS and videos, commenting things like “Are you using Jeong Myeong-seok for advertising?” and “You lied about leaving JMS.”