“In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal,” which was released on Netflix in March last year, exposes the story of “Messiahs” in modern Korean history and tracing the events and people behind them. It caused a huge social stir immediately after its release.
One of the exposed cults in the documentary, JMS, filed a complaint against its PD Cho Sung-hyun for violating Article 14 (2) and (3) of the Special Act on Sexual Violence (filming of cameras, etc.). Paragraph 2 states that a person who screens a video that can cause sexual shame against the will of the subject faces up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won, and Paragraph 3 states that if he/she violates Paragraph 2 using the information and communication network for profit, he/she will face up to three years in prison.
In the “In the Name of God” features videos of naked victims with major body parts without mosaics. The police reportedly received the complaint and investigated it, and the prosecution reportedly received the case on the 14th.
Mapo Police Station said the production team made profits by disclosing the body of a female believer without filtering in the documentary. “The voice was exposed without a mosaic. We judged that the documentary on Netflix was for-profit purposes, and we believed that there was a criminal charge for the act of screening the video without the consent of the person concerned,” it said.
Producer Cho Sung-hyun said on the 20th, “JMS has constantly insisted that the video was fabricated even before the work was released. In response, I did not apply a mosaic to the body for the public’s own benefits and realism of accusing the abnormality of cults,” and explained, “’In the Name of God’ was released after rating review and decision by the Korea Media Rating Board.”
“After the release of “In the Name of God,” half of all JMS believers withdrew from the cult, and the sex offender cult leader Jung Myung-seok was arrested and no longer able to commit more sex crimes. South Korean society has once again recognized the seriousness of the cult issue,” he said. “However, Mapo Police Station compares that the public interest obtained by “In the Name of God” through the sending of prosecution opinions is insignificant, and that the private interests of JMS devotees are greater.” He added, “In particular, they branded me, the PD who shed light on the JMS case last year, as a sex offender and ‘In the Name of God’ as a pornographic material.”
Kim Do-hyung, a Dankook University professor who has constantly tracked down JMS, said on an online cafe, “If JMS’s accusation is recognized and PD Cho Sung-hyun is punished or given a suspension of prosecution, it is obvious that JMS will raise a complaint to the Korea Communications Commission by claiming “In The Name Of God” as an obscene broadcasting’, and if that happens, the documentary may no longer be seen in Korea.” Furthermore, it is obvious that it will affect the production of ‘In The Name Of God Season 2’.”
In response, fans of “In The Name Of God” including former followers who escaped from the JMS filed complaints with police and prosecutors. They are giving generous support to PD Cho Sung-hyun, who said he would fight to the end even if he had to file a complaint with the police and sent to the prosecution, and Professor Kim Do-hyung, who helps him.
In response, PD Cho Sung-hyun said, “I’ve lived my daily life to be sued, but it’s a more shameful experience than I thought to be accused of being a sex offender by JMS, and I feel even more frustrated that it’s the Korean police who admit the charges.”
“I’m looking at another bottom of the Republic of Korea that I don’t want to witness,” he said. “But the difference from before is that there are people who cheer for me. It’s my first time to see them, and I feel very much that it gives me a lot of strength. I’ll solve it well without getting tired,” he said, clenching his fist.
Source: OSEN
