Transcription
Through the past two broadcasts, those who have watched this program must have been very angry, seeing how a public broadcasting station could broadcast false and distorted reports so recklessly. Today, through the two broadcasts so far, we will clarify the facts and falsehoods regarding the content reported by MBC, explain how it was distorted and what false facts were claimed, and then present the church's countermeasures to our congregation.
First, looking at the intentions and problems of the MBC broadcast, they can be largely summarized into about three points. The first, the central theme of this broadcast is, in a word, strongly asserting that the notorious incident in 1994 was not a solo crime, but that there were accomplices and that it was orchestrated. And the basis for the broadcast's discussion relies on the false testimonies of many interviewees. Furthermore, MBC ignores existing rulings by Hyundai Jongkyo and court decisions related to Tak Myung-hwan, and shows behavior that violates them. Regarding accomplices and orchestration, they are continuously raising suspicions based solely on circumstantial evidence, even though the case has already been concluded.
Second, under the guise of Lee Kang-guk and anonymous informants, they are continuously making false and distorted claims that are completely different from the facts. While watching the broadcast, I was personally surprised to see how much weight Lee Kang-guk's testimony carried, to the point where the content of "Cult Hunter" would be impossible to construct without it. Moreover, MBC is taking the reckless step of ignoring and violating the court's rulings that prohibit the distribution of content and materials from Hyundai Jongkyo, and that prohibit the raising of baseless suspicions.
Looking at the second point, we need to examine the content and truth of Lee Kang-guk's false and distorted claims. Externally, it was divided into five parts, and MBC broadcast it in two parts, 70 minutes each. Among this content, perhaps the most powerful interview that supports MBC's claims of accomplices and orchestration is Lee Kang-guk's testimony. We can see how distorted and false Lee Kang-guk's testimony is in about five points.
First, Lee Kang-guk firmly claims orchestration. He says something like, "Just get rid of him," and when the PD asked if he had confirmed this with Pastor Park Yoon-shik, he explicitly said that there was no need to confirm, that they all knew it and accepted it. However, the broadcast itself contains a contradiction: not only the perpetrator Lee Mong-cheon, but also his older sister consistently claimed it was a solo crime. Furthermore, the prosecution clearly issued a not-guilty ruling regarding orchestration for Oh-ssiem on July 6, 1997. Then, through a Supreme Court ruling on September 20, 1999, the issues that Tak Ji-won and Hyundai Jongkyo had continuously raised were definitively ruled upon.
Therefore, according to the ruling of the first trial on September 2, 1998, Lee Mong-cheon's testimony regarding the motive for murder states that he heard from the elder pastor, "Tak Myung-hwan is a pitiful person. We must pray for him," on February 6, 1994. It also states that there is no other evidence to suggest that Tak Myung-hwan instructed or implied murder, that the motive for the elder pastor's instruction of murder was weak, and that, based on the testimony of Lee Mong-cheon's older sister, Im Soon-ja, a decision of no indictment was made regarding the charge of the elder pastor instructing murder. This is the exact content of the ruling made by the court on September 2, 1998.
Second, Lee Kang-guk made another absurd claim: that there was prior collusion using walkie-talkies. He claims that Elder Kim and Lee Woong-cheon practiced using walkie-talkies, with Elder Kim tailing and Lee Woong-cheon committing the crime. This is a baseless and false claim that was never even mentioned during the police investigation, and it is nothing more than a fictional story. If walkie-talkies were used, evidence could easily be found by simply checking the frequency. Nevertheless, Lee Kang-guk continues to make such baseless false claims on the broadcast.
Third, he unilaterally raised suspicions that the elder pastor lived a luxurious life funded by church offerings and had a corrupt private life. One of these was that the interior of the elder pastor's office was too luxurious and high-end, claiming he had set up an "Abang Palace." This is to say nothing of the Noryangjin location. Tak Myung-hwan claimed that the elder pastor was living in a place decorated like an "Abang Palace" in Hyundai Jongkyo. However, that "Abang Palace" was the basement of the Noryangjin main church. That basement was a storage room for various items. This was called an "Abang Palace." The headquarters itself was renovated and redecorated to that extent; before that, the interior was much lower in quality. And among you, who among you has not entered that room in the church? We all entered to ask for prayer or to meet the elder pastor, either in front of the headquarters or when invited in, and met in the study to ask for prayer and consultation. So, it was the elder pastor's office and bedroom. The office had only one study with a desk, and there was no luxurious interior or "Abang Palace" decoration.
Furthermore, he claimed that the elder pastor frequented saunas and Turkish baths. When I asked what a Turkish bath was, it is said to be a bathhouse where one can hire a male masseur. This means that if men use it, they can use a female masseur, which is quite immoral. In 1994, Turkey officially protested to the Korean government, asking why they were using the name "Turkish bath" for such a thing. After that, it was changed to "steam bath." He is speaking of these things indiscriminately, as if the elder pastor was doing them secretly. He claims that perhaps only one or two elders, including himself, have been there, but many of our elders and church staff have gone to the bath with the elder pastor. The elder pastor always worked with the church staff, and after finishing, they would eat together, go to the bath, or go to the sauna. The elder pastor stays in the sauna for a very long time. We would follow him in, but we couldn't bear it anymore due to the heat and would have to leave. He would be there without any expression, and we couldn't leave midway. We would leave feeling grateful, thinking, "It's hard, just go out." Even I, since my days as a pastor, worked with the Moriah Temple construction, and after finishing, we would relieve our fatigue in the sauna. However, the elder pastor, living with young staff, even pastors, without any reservations, has led the church with a family-like leadership, becoming one with the church staff and congregation. This, in a way, is the driving force behind our church's growth, yet we cannot help but be enraged by the interview that portrays this as a decadent and immoral life.
Fourth, he falsely claimed that the elder pastor deified himself and was a heretic. He claims that he himself went to the "Jirisan prayer place" and that it is impossible to pray in such a cave for nearly four years, calling it a "fake charisma" to deify himself. He also claims that the elder pastor authoritatively suppresses the congregation through abusive language and violence. Have any of you ever been treated like this by the elder pastor? No. Rather, he empathizes with our pain, prays sincerely for us, shows interest, and sometimes, if he remembers a prayer request I made a while ago, he will call me and ask how it's going. Seeing that, I realized he was praying for me and paying attention to each of us. Through this, we were able to trust him even more and grow the church by believing and relying on the word proclaimed through the elder pastor.
Thus, the Jirisan prayer and all of the elder pastor's early actions are the starting point of our church and, at the same time, the foundation of the redemptive history message. However, these false claims by Lee Kang-guk are merely falsehoods and distortions intended to deny the foundation of this redemptive history message. What is even more outrageous is the claim that the elder pastor had 80 billion won in cash in his safe, and that he intended to pass it on to his sons living abroad so they could live comfortably. If he had such intentions, as the elder pastor himself said, he has three sons; why not ordain one of them as a pastor and pass on the church? However, as the elder pastor has repeatedly told us, "Serve each church as an elder and serve the pastor." He told us, "You are the owners of this church, not your children." We have heard these words more than once.
At that time, 50,000 won bills had not yet been issued; only 10,000 won bills existed. So, I calculated the volume of 80 billion won. As reported in the news at the time, when politicians delivered 100 million won in bribes, what was the volume of 100 million won? It was one box of apples. So, how many boxes of apples would be needed? 800 boxes. Is there a safe that can hold 800 boxes of apples? Even if you put them in a room, it would be difficult to fit 800 boxes. It is truly astonishing that such a preposterous claim is made so casually on broadcast. Furthermore, even if someone donated 10 billion won to the elder pastor personally, I don't know if anyone has, but even so, it would be a donation to the church, not to an individual. And to transfer 80 billion won in cash to his sons, it is said that the Deborah Choir members, when going on overseas missions, would mobilize 100 people, and at that time, the amount one person could carry was $5,000. So, if 100 people carried it, they would carry $500,000 to give to their three sons living abroad so they could live comfortably.
Think about it. At that time, if you were to exchange $500,000, the bank would have already identified it, and the government would have wondered who suddenly exchanged $500,000, not a corporation. Also, to the members of the Deborah Choir at that time, were you used as cash couriers? We sang songs of reconciliation and unity at the LA Black Community riot, and the choir members went to church events or temple construction and sang, and they also went on pilgrimage to Israel. To distort these missionary visits as a sinister scheme to smuggle foreign currency and broadcast it is something we can never overlook.
Moreover, in 1994, as we all know, we were moving from Noryangjin to Our Village. The church's finances were strained, and our missionaries took out loans, sold their homes, and converted their jeonse deposits to monthly rent to barely raise the funds to purchase the land in Our Village for over 10 billion won. At that time, with the financial situation of the congregation in Noryangjin, it was impossible to acquire the land in Our Village. Therefore, we scraped together everything to acquire it. Furthermore, the Moriah Temple was constructed from 1992 and completed in November 1993, so we had no financial surplus or capacity at that time. So, what 80 billion won and 10 billion won in donations are we talking about?
However, what I found surprising while watching the broadcast is that the amounts of 80 billion won and 10 billion won sound familiar. These are the numbers that heretics used to attack the church and the elder pastor's family. "There was 80 billion won in the elder pastor's safe." Who claimed this? The heretics started it. Lee Kang-guk, having left the church around September of the 1994 incident, would not know about this situation. Therefore, seeing him testify to such content, I realized that this person is colluding with the heretical forces, exchanging information, and repeating their claims on the broadcast.
So, what are the problems with MBC's attitude and this broadcast? First, they are repeating the content of Hyundai Jongkyo from March-April 1983 through interviews. The claims made by Elder Lee Kang-guk are not truly his own testimony, I suspect. It seems as though he studied the content of Hyundai Jongkyo and then testified in his own words, as it is too similar to the content of Hyundai Jongkyo from March-April 1983. Tak Ji-won and his followers are also repeating the content of their father's Hyundai Jongkyo. In the content of Hyundai Jongkyo at that time, there were claims about the elder pastor's overseas mansion purchases, luxurious lifestyle, smuggling of foreign currency, and extramarital affairs, which Tak Myung-hwan had already claimed. However, because those claims were so baseless and absurd, the content, along with fabricated photos, was banned from distribution in Hyundai Jongkyo, issues March-April and May-June. Therefore, that book cannot be distributed. Yet, the broadcasting station, despite knowing this, is committing an illegal act by broadcasting the content of a banned book.
Second, broadcasting stations have an obligation to verify interview content. This is because if interviewees make baseless false claims, and the broadcasting station broadcasts them indiscriminately without verification, it can cause significant damage. The Supreme Court has already made rulings to this effect. Broadcasting stations have an obligation to verify whether the interviewee's statements are true before broadcasting, and they will be held responsible for this. This is because if someone slanders celebrities or famous people with false information, and the broadcasting station broadcasts it without verification, they can suffer immense damage, and it becomes impossible to restore their reputation. Therefore, the person who made the false statement is naturally responsible, but the broadcasting station that did not verify it is also naturally responsible.
Regarding Lee Kang-guk's false statements mentioned earlier, such as saunas, massages, dollars, smuggling foreign currency, "Abang Palace," and cash in the safe, if he claims there was 80 billion won stored in the safe, shouldn't the broadcasting station have verified it? Even a little thought would reveal that it is impossible for 80 billion won to fit in a safe, and that the person is making exaggerated false claims. They should have adjusted or removed it, but they broadcast it without any hesitation.
Furthermore, the car bombing incident involving Tak Myung-hwan in 1985, for which the perpetrator was never caught, is subtly implied to have been carried out by the elder pastor or our church. Seeing this, I realized that this is a grave dereliction of the broadcasting station's important responsibilities and duties.
Third, despite numerous problems with Tak Myung-hwan, they are intentionally excluded, and the broadcast content glorifies Tak Myung-hwan as a hero. The prosecution's indictment clearly states Lee Mong-cheon's testimony. In his response to the question about the motive for murder, he clearly testified that he witnessed Tak Myung-hwan's extramarital affair and acted impulsively out of anger. However, this part is not mentioned at all. Furthermore, they omit the fabricated photo of Tak Myung-hwan in Hyundai Jongkyo, issue June 1983, and use the overseas mansion photo from the same page, reporting it as the elder pastor's luxurious mansion worth $190,000.
Although Tak Myung-hwan is portrayed as a great heretic hunter in Korean Christianity, his statement regarding the Unification Church is omitted. Also, the public apology to the elder pastor dated June 25, 1990, which Tak Myung-hwan later wrote in Hyundai Jongkyo, stating that it was a "one step back for two steps forward," is also omitted. When Tak Ji-won's son uses the same rhetoric, glossing over their weaknesses and the broadcast reporting it as is, it is clear that Tak Myung-hwan is portrayed as a hero, and the elder pastor is portrayed as a cult heretic and a perpetrator who orchestrated a terrible crime. We can see the intention of such a broadcast.
Fourth, they are ignoring the Supreme Court's final ruling and repeatedly raising suspicions. The core message of this broadcast is that the 1990 incident was not a solo crime but involved accomplices and orchestration. This is the main point the broadcast wants to convey, and the heretics have continuously made such claims. However, these claims have already been ruled as unacceptable suspicions, resulting in a compensation judgment of ten million won.
When the prosecution issued a not-guilty ruling on the charge of instructing murder on July 6, 1997, Tak Ji-won and Hyundai Jongkyo claimed in the October 1997 and January 1998 issues of Hyundai Jongkyo that "instruction of murder is evident, so it should be re-examined." They distributed this to Hyundai Jongkyo and other media outlets, raising suspicions from October 1997. Therefore, we filed an injunction to prohibit the distribution of Hyundai Jongkyo and to prevent such slanderous acts, which are illegal actions that overturn the decisions of credible state institutions like the prosecution and damage trust. On October 20, 1997, we received a preliminary injunction. Nevertheless, as they did not stop, we received a final injunction on January 12, 1998.
However, MBC ignored these court decisions, not only broadcasting the content of these rulings but also filing a lawsuit for damages against Tak Ji-won and his family for continuously raising suspicions through Hyundai Jongkyo. The first trial ruling came out on February 1, 1998. The first trial ruling is clear. It states that despite the prosecution's investigation resulting in a "no charge" disposition, the defendant published articles claiming the plaintiff instructed murder based on their own suspicions, thereby damaging the plaintiff's honor and infringing upon their personal rights, and thus is liable for damages. It further states that in the presence of a clear "no charge" disposition made by the prosecution through proper procedures and objective investigation, it cannot be evaluated as having a reasonable basis to believe the truth that the plaintiff, who is presumed innocent, is clearly the instigator of murder, based primarily on their own suspicions. This was finally confirmed by the Supreme Court on September 20, 1999.
We submitted this to the preliminary injunction for broadcast prohibition, so MBC is aware of this content. Nevertheless, they are repeating the same claims made by Tak Ji-won and Hyundai Jongkyo since 1997 through this broadcast.
Furthermore, a decisive factor revealing the broadcasting station's bias is that the producer, Seo Jeong-moon, prejudged the orchestration from the beginning and produced the program. This is because, in the broadcast, there is a scene where the producer suddenly visits and interviews Lee Mong-cheon. The question itself is, "Is it true that you received a large sum of money from the church as compensation for murdering Tak Myung-hwan and hiding the truth?" The question is framed as if Lee Mong-cheon was instructed to murder Tak Myung-hwan, and if he doesn't want to reveal the truth, it asks, "Did you receive money and get instructed, and is it covered up now?" Such coercive and leading questions suggest that this was a low-quality broadcast that was fabricated to fit the producer's and the broadcasting station's predetermined conclusions, rather than an attempt to uncover the truth.
Finally, the claim that the church attempted to conceal the orchestration in exchange for financial support is false. As mentioned earlier, there is no new evidence that would overturn the Supreme Court's ruling in 1999. However, MBC's re-examination of this issue is presented as if new facts have emerged, claiming that the church provided a large sum of money to Lee Mong-cheon in 2021 to conceal past facts, and that this is why the broadcast was produced. This is MBC's excuse. However, in 2019, the church absolutely refused Lee Mong-cheon's demands. We maintained our position that unjust expenditures should not be made and refused his demands for two years. However, in 2021, Lee Seung-hyun, who was the pastor at the time, provided a jeonse apartment in the church's name, allowing him to reside there temporarily. We have confirmed that this was the extent of the convenience provided, and that Lee Seung-hyun arbitrarily provided apartment purchase funds around September 2021. The church never agreed to such unjust demands, and there were no unjust expenditures from the church's finances. The provision of the jeonse apartment was a temporary convenience provided, considering his various financial hardships, and nothing more.
However, in this broadcast, they fail to present any decisive evidence or claims regarding this content. This means that despite lacking any basis or motive to bring up this past issue again, they are making the same allegations.
Fourth, how should we respond to MBC's false and distorted broadcast? What we have clearly understood from this incident is that there was collusion with the heretics. As mentioned earlier, amounts like 80 billion won or 10 billion won are not figures that Lee Mong-guk would know. Furthermore, in this broadcast, some video footage appears: the heretics held an illegal prayer service on Saturdays. Then, the heretical elders raise suspicions, claiming that there is a vast amount of cash in the elder pastor's safe, and the amount they mentioned was 80 billion won. They also claimed it was given to his sons, and this has even led to ongoing lawsuits. These claims by the heretics were reported on MBC through Lee Kang-guk's testimony. Therefore, the current lawsuits and suffering of the elder pastor's family are also due to the lawsuits filed by the heretics. Thus, this is not simply a matter of investigative reporting by a broadcasting station, but a grand conspiracy and attack by a minority force colluding with heretics to shake the foundation of the elder pastor and the church. We must realize this and become one with renewed determination.
Some people, angered and agitated by this, suggest finding informants within the church and expelling them. However, there are no such people within the church. There is no need to communicate such things among ourselves. This is clearly an act by a small group of external forces colluding with heretics to destroy the church. Therefore, we define this as an act to destroy the church and the redemptive history. Our Pyonggang Cheil Church, established through God's people, is a vital center for spreading the message of redemptive history. Attacking the church founder and the author of the redemptive history series is an act to obstruct the church and the spread of the redemptive history message. Therefore, we must realize that this is not merely a broadcast report but the final all-out attack of Satan, and we must stand against it, protect the church, and lead in spreading redemptive history. We pray that all the members of Pyonggang will become such people. Amen.
Third, how will the church respond? First, we will take strong legal action against the false and distorted claims. We plan to hold Lee Kang-guk accountable for his false testimony and MBC accountable for its biased and illegal reporting. Second, we will use this opportunity to establish our church's history and identity for you and the next generation. In times like these, we must have a firm understanding of our church's history and identity so that we are not shaken by such attacks. Therefore, it is necessary to study the history of unjust heresy fabrication and the process of responding to it to establish a correct church history.
When I was preparing this material, I looked for the first Sunday bulletin after the 1994 incident, which was dated February 27th. I searched the bulletin to see what was written in the advertisements. It simply said one line: "When the church is in difficult times, let us strive to gather and become praying members." This continued every week until May, with no additions or subtractions. What should we do when the church is in difficult times? First, strive to gather, and second, become praying members. I believe the advertisement content from 1994 is still valid today. I pray that our congregation will strive to gather and become praying members, especially when the church is in difficult times.
In the box below, it says that even amidst this, there were over 20 new members. On February 27th, those who had watched extensive broadcasts on television and news for a week since February 20th came to church. Despite such circumstances, they came to church. And looking at the consistent registration of over ten new members thereafter, we can see that the church has been steadily spreading the word, evangelizing, and growing without being shaken by external attacks.
Finally, we can see how precious the Korean Christian Council's (KCC) decision to lift the heresy designation was, and how the elder pastor cherished it, naming it the "Day of Victory." The KCC's ruling to lift the heresy designation was on December 27th, exactly 30 years ago. It was on March-April 1983 that Tak Myung-hwan first raised the heresy issue in Hyundai Jongkyo, and it was exactly 30 years later, on December 17, 2013, that the heresy designation was lifted.
In the KCC's verification report regarding the lifting of the heresy designation, I have quoted only two sentences: "Pastor Park Yoon-shik's redemptive history series is a work based on the reformed tradition and orthodox faith, therefore, Pastor Park Yoon-shik's theological thought is also not heretical, and we boldly judge it to be a sound evangelical and reformed faith." The KCC has revealed the truth of the elder pastor's unjust defamation, and Tak Myung-hwan's attack was false and unjust. Crucially, human judgment and ideological judgment can be confirmed through books and writings. Since the redemptive history series is based on orthodox faith, it is not heretical and is a sound evangelical and reformed faith. This redemptive history series played a decisive role. Therefore, we must further develop, inherit, and spread the content of this book without wavering, and become those who receive this precious inheritance left by the pastor.
In the sentence below, it says, "We are pleased that the KCC has lifted the heresy designation for Pastor Park Yoon-shik and has established institutional mechanisms for Pastor Park Yoon-shik to convey the grace he received from God to the Korean church." At this point, we should applaud. Looking at this again, on October 18, 2013, the newspaper published the article "Verification Report of Pastor Park Yoon-shik: No Heresy." For 30 years, and including the present, 13 more years have passed, but no one has tried to see the truth, and even if they saw the truth, they have ignored it and are still repeating the same false claims that Tak Myung-hwan made in Hyundai Jongkyo in the past, like parrots.
However, the KCC, as the only unified organization among Korean church denominations, has rigorously verified this content, made a correct judgment and decision, and courageously announced it to the Korean church. It is the only unified organization that has done so. Through this, the elder pastor was able to shed the unjust burden he had carried for 30 years, and he defined it as a "victory of the word," and we have been commemorating December 17th as the "Day of Victory" ever since. The conclusion is already reached. No matter how many times such attacks are repeated, darkness can never destroy us who have been granted the Day of Victory and who celebrate it, nor can it shake us in the slightest. We can be absolutely sure of this.
Once again, I urge you not to be shaken by such broadcasts, but to focus on your worship and service. Instead, by riding on these challenges, we will become a Pyonggang Church that soars even higher. Yes. Thank you.