The Church of Almighty God cult purchased a youth training center located in Hwayang-ri, Cheongcheon-myeon, Goesan-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea, to be used as a communal settlement for cult members. (Source Image)
South Korean website THE MODERN RELIGION MONTHLY (Hdjongkyo) reported on July 10, 2023, that controversy has arisen after it was revealed that members of the Church of Almighty God cult had forged passports to enter South Korea. They then maliciously exploited legal loopholes to apply for false refugee status, filed administrative lawsuits, and remained in the country for extended periods. In response, the South Korean government has revised the Refugee Act to strengthen the screening process for refugee applications. The amendment is currently under review by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly of South Korea.
In 2018, after news broke that the Church of Almighty God cult had incited its members to maliciously abuse the refugee application system, remain in South Korea for extended periods, and conduct missionary activities, public outrage grew in South Korean society. However, the Church of Almighty God did not stop its actions. Instead, it continued to expand its influence in South Korea by establishing hideouts, distributing cult books for free over the internet, and operating cult hotlines.
Since 2016, the Church of Almighty God cult has been purchasing properties and land in South Korea to use as bases for its cult activities. It first acquired the Utopia Youth Hostel in Hwadong-ri, Dunnae-myeon, Hoengseong County, Gangwon Province. Subsequently, it purchased several other properties, including the Gaelimwon Youth Hostel in Giltang-ri, Sanoe-myeon, Boeun County, North Chungcheong Province; the Hwayang Youth Training Center in Hwayang-ri, Cheongcheon-myeon, Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province; the Munjangdae Youth Town in Shinjeong-ri, Sanoe-myeon, Boeun County, North Chungcheong Province; and the Pyeongchang Youth Hostel in Ungyo-ri, Bangnim-myeon, Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province. Cult members have been living together in clusters at these locations. Since 2021, there have been no reports of the Church of Almighty God acquiring new bases.
The reason the Church of Almighty God cult has been able to establish a foothold in South Korea is that it has maliciously exploited the visa-free entry system. Members enter South Korea through Jeju Island, which operates a visa waiver program, and subsequently move to cult bases within the country to settle. They then recklessly apply for refugee status, taking advantage of loopholes in the administrative litigation period under the Refugee Act to prolong their stay. Although South Korea has not recognized the fraudulent refugee claims filed by the Church of Almighty God, these cult members have long been posing as refugees in the country. The controversy has recently intensified after it was revealed that a cult member had entered the country using a forged passport.
The Church of Almighty God cult submitted an opinion statement to South Korea's Minister of Justice in an attempt to obstruct the revision of the Refugee Act. (Source Image)
To strengthen the enforcement of refugee application screening procedures and eliminate the numerous negative impacts of fraudulent refugees on South Korean society, South Korea's Ministry of Justice issued a legislative notice on December 28, 2020, for a partial amendment to the Refugee Act. The core content of the amendment concerns "provisions restricting re-application for refugee status review." When issuing the legislative notice, the Ministry of Justice stated: "The current Refugee Act lacks clear provisions restricting the abuse of refugee applications and the repeated filing of re-applications without justifiable grounds, which may cause delays in refugee screening or review procedures. In order to safeguard the procedural timelines for legitimate refugee applicants and enhance the efficiency of refugee screening, restrictions shall be imposed on applicants who repeatedly file refugee applications and appeals without any significant changes in circumstances." The amendment was submitted to the First Act Review Subcommittee of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee in February 2023 and is currently under review.
As soon as the Ministry of Justice's proposed amendment to the Refugee Act was announced, the Church of Almighty God organization was thrown into a state of panic, fearing that the passage of the amendment would completely block its path to long-term stay in South Korea through abusing the Refugee Act. The group immediately reacted with desperation, and on February 5, 2021, just before the deadline for submitting opinions on the proposed legislation was set to expire, it submitted a letter of opposition to the Ministry of Justice. At present, the Refugee Act amendment has advanced to the review stage at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and the Church of Almighty God has made no further attempts to obstruct it.
Free cult books uploaded on the Church of Almighty God website. (Source Image)
It remains unclear whether the Church of Almighty God has implemented other schemes regarding its stay in South Korea, but its sinister ambition to spread cult fallacies through the internet and expand its influence has never ceased. The Church of Almighty God cult has set up a dedicated website. Although the website's design is utterly devoid of aesthetic appeal, its language translations are crude and poorly executed, and its overall quality and readability are low, it nonetheless offers 16 cult books available for free download, along with PDF files and EPUBs (e-books) promoting its fallacies. In addition, the group has produced cult films and videos, and operates cult hotline services worldwide.
Cult hotlines set up in multiple locations worldwide on the Church of Almighty God website. (Source Image)
The Church of Almighty God has been quietly carrying out cult activities within South Korea, expanding its influence by leveraging financial support and exploiting legal loopholes. It is hoped that the promulgation and implementation of the amendment to the Refugee Act will effectively prevent the harm inflicted by cult forces on South Korean society and curb the illegal activities of the Church of Almighty God, which abuses the Refugee Act to prolong its stay in South Korea for unlawful missionary activities.
