The conclusion of the injunction case to decide whether to maintain the broadcast of content related to the religious group 'Agadongsan' featured in the Netflix documentary 'I am God' is expected to be reached next month.
On the morning of the 24th, the Civil Division 50 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Presiding Judge Park Beom-seok) held a hearing for the injunction case filed by Agadongsan and its leader Kim Gi-soon against producer Jo Sung-hyun and MBC to prohibit the broadcast.
In court that day, Agadongsan's side pointed out that Kim was acquitted by the court in 1997 on charges including murder and fraud, stating, "(The documentary) still strongly suggests suspicion that Kim might be a murderer."
MBC responded, "We wanted to expose and warn how universal ethics can be distorted under the guise of religion." The testimony given by the (deceased) child's mother is different from previous accounts. Agadongsan only claims it is false, but due to the nature of the group, one cannot speak the truth without leaving it," they argued. They added, "The mother revealed in front of the public that she was involved in concealing the death. Please consider the fact that she stood in front of the camera to reveal the truth now when judging the veracity."
Initially, Kim's side also filed an injunction against Netflix Services Korea, but withdrew this part on the 20th. Netflix Services Korea handles subscription contracts in Korea, and since the broadcasting rights belong to Netflix's U.S. headquarters, it was deemed meaningless to file an injunction against them.
The court commented on this, "(The injunction) should be filed against Netflix, but seeking an injunction against the producer MBC at this point seems too late."
Agadongsan raised the possibility that the Netflix contract might include provisions for handling such situations and requested MBC to submit related materials. The court concluded the hearing by stating, "The deadline for submitting materials is April 7, and the decision will be made afterward."
'I am God,' produced with MBC's participation, is an eight-episode documentary covering four individuals who call themselves gods.
Agadongsan, introduced in episodes 5 and 6, filed an injunction on the 8th requesting the court to prohibit the broadcast. The group demanded the court ban the airing of programs or internet broadcasts depicting Agadongsan as a 'cult religious group.' They also applied to prohibit the production and distribution of publications, including books. They requested the court to order a daily penalty of 10 million KRW if Netflix, producer Jo, or MBC fail to comply. The group claims the broadcast contains only baseless unilateral assertions from former members and that most of the content is false.
In 2001, Agadongsan also filed an injunction against SBS's 'Unanswered Questions - Agadongsan, Five Years Later.' The court accepted it at the time, and SBS urgently replaced the scheduled broadcast with a special documentary.
Meanwhile, the Christian Gospel Mission (JMS), introduced in episodes 1, 2, and 3, also filed an injunction to block the airing of 'I am God,' but the Seoul Western District Court dismissed all JMS applications on the 2nd.
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