Business activities tied to cults may support covert religious outreach
Products affiliated with JMS (Christian Gospel Mission) and Guwonpa (Salvation Sect) flood TikTok.
Products from a company run by the family of a senior official close to Jung Myung-seok, the leader of the JMS Christian Gospel Mission, are being sold on TikTok, one of the world's largest video-sharing platforms. In addition to JMS-related products, items from companies linked to the Guwonpa (Salvation Sect) are also available on the platform.
These companies have been targeting the Chinese market for years, organizing factory tours for Chinese tourists, participating in beauty expos in Guangzhou and Shanghai, and marketing hair dyes, gels, waxes, hair serums, sunscreen, body cleansers, facial cleansers, and men’s skincare under the brand name "Ajeossi" (아저씨).
The JMS-related company describes itself as "a business united by faith" and claims to be a leading cosmetics manufacturer (specializing in skincare, haircare, body care, and makeup), ranking second in Korea’s professional hair product market.
In 2019, over 30 Chinese distributors visited the company’s headquarters in Incheon for a new product launch, leading to a master distribution agreement. In 2023, Chinese singer and influencer Haixia from Inner Mongolia promoted the brand via live-stream.
Now a mid-sized enterprise, the company recorded sales of 18.3 billion KRW (approx. $14.2 million) in 2023.
JMS-affiliated companies have repeatedly been exposed by the media as financial supporters of the cult. Despite past harm caused by such groups in South Korea, regulatory oversight over these businesses appears lax.
Cults often expand overseas through university exchange programs, corporate activities, and NGO operations. These companies and cults have a symbiotic relationship—business growth boosts the cults’ influence, while the cults benefit financially from corporate profits.
Some firms even offer scholarships to cult-linked students (including foreign trainees) and recruit believers as "foreign workers." Employees are also subjected to indoctrination disguised as "character education" or "etiquette training," gradually converting non-believers.
As these companies continue to expand, so does the influence of the cults behind them. This raises serious concerns about the proliferation of covert missionary activities and their potential for widespread exploitation.
