The religious organization 'Agadongsan' has filed a lawsuit seeking damages against MBC, director Jo Seong-hyun, and Netflix, claiming harm caused by the Netflix documentary 'I Am God.'
According to the legal community on the 24th, Agadongsan and its leader Kim Gi-soon filed a lawsuit on the 21st seeking 300 million won in damages against them.
Netflix was excluded from the preliminary injunction lawsuit filed by Agadongsan but was included as a defendant in the main lawsuit.
The preliminary injunction case to ban the broadcast is expected to be concluded after mid-next month.
On the morning of the day, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 50 (Chief Presiding Judge Park Beom-seok), which held the hearing for the injunction case, stated, "The deadline for submitting materials is set for April 7, and the decision will be made thereafter."
In the injunction court, Agadongsan's side pointed out that Kim was acquitted by the court in 1997 on charges including murder and fraud, emphasizing that "(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," adding, "The testimony given by the (deceased) child's mother is different from previous ones. Agadongsan only claims it is false, but due to the nature of the group, one cannot speak the truth without leaving it."
They continued, "The mother admitted publicly 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 a preliminary 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, the injunction was deemed meaningless.
The court commented on this, saying, "The injunction should be filed against Netflix, not against the producer MBC at this point, which seems too late."
'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 a preliminary injunction on the 8th to ban the broadcast.
The group requested the court to prohibit broadcasting or internet streaming of content depicting Agadongsan as a 'cult religious group.' They also applied to ban the production and distribution of related publications, including books.
They further requested the court to order a daily penalty of 10 million won if Netflix, director Jo, or MBC fail to comply. The group claims the broadcast contains only baseless unilateral claims from some former members of Agadongsan and that most of the content is false.
In 2001, Agadongsan also filed a preliminary 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 a preliminary 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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