[ÆíÁýÀÚ ÁÖ] ½ÅõÁö´Â Áö³ 2014³â 9¿ù, ¼ÒÀ§ ¼¼°èÆòȸ¦ À§ÇÑ ¸¸±¹È¸ÀǸ¦ °³ÃÖÇß´Ù. ´ç½Ã Çà»ç¿¡ Âü¼®Çß´ø ³×´ú¶õµåÀÇ ÇÑ Ã»¼Ò³â ´Üü ȸÀåÀÇ ¼ö±â¸¦ ½ÅõÁö´ëÃ¥Àü±¹¿¬ÇÕ °ü°èÀÚ°¡ ¹ø¿ªÇÑ ±Û°ú ÇÔ²² °ÔÀçÇÑ´Ù.
How I ended up in a Korean religious cult Çѱ¹ÀÇ »çÀ̺ñÁ¾±³[½ÅõÁö]¿¡ ÀÌ¿ë´çÇÑ »ç°ÇÀÇ Àü¸»
This is quite an unusual story, as it is my account of how I ended up in a religious cult in South Korea and how I walked out of it. ³ª´Â Çѱ¹¿¡¼ Ưº°ÇÑ °æÇèÀ» Çß´Ù. ÀÌ À̾߱â´Â ³»°¡ ¾î¶»°Ô Çѱ¹ÀÇ ÇÑ »çÀ̺ñÁ¾±³¿¡°Ô ÀÌ¿ëÀ» ´çÇß°í, ¾î¶»°Ô ºüÁ®³ª¿Ã ¼ö ÀÖ¾ú´ÂÁö¿¡ °üÇÑ °ÍÀÌ´Ù.
It has been a most interesting experience, but not without any fear. My story provides an insight in how religious cults can function and serves as a warning for others, who might find themselves in a similar situation one day. Çѱ¹¿¡¼ÀÇ ³ªÀÇ °æÇèÀº µÎ·Á¿òº¸´Ù´Â, ¾ÆÁÖ Èï¹Ì·Î¿î °æÇèÀ̾ú´Ù. ³» À̾߱â´Â »çÀ̺ñÁ¾±³ÀÇ ÀüÇüÀûÀΠƯ¡À» ¾Ë¸®°í, Ȥ½Ã ³ª¿Í °°Àº ÀÏÀ» °ÞÀ»Áöµµ ¸ð¸¦ À̵éÀ» À§ÇÑ ¿¹¹æÀû Â÷¿øÀÇ °æ°í¸¦ ÁÖ±âÀ§ÇØ ÀÛ¼ºµÇ¾ú´Ù.
Via a colleague I received an invitation to attend a ‘world peace summit’, in Seoul, South Korea, in my capacity as president of a youth organization in the Netherlands. ³ª´Â ³×´ú¶õµåÀÇ Ã»¼Ò³â ´Üü ȸÀåÀÇ ÀÔÀåÀ¸·Î¼, µ¿·á¸¦ ÅëÇØ ´ëÇѹα¹ ¼¿ï¿¡¼ ¿¸®´Â ‘world peace summit(ÀÌÇÏ summit)'¿¡ Âü¿©ÇÒ ¼ö ÀÖ´Â ÃÊ´ëÀåÀ» ¹Þ¾Ò´Ù.
The three-day event aimed to bring together representatives from governments, religions and youth organizations, in order to ‘discuss and create an interfaith constitution for peace’. ±× 3ÀÏ°£ Çà»ç´Â Æòȸ¦ À§ÇØ Á¾±³¸¦ ÃÊ¿ùÇÑ ¹ýÀ» ÅäÀÇÇÏ°í ¸¸µé±â À§ÇÏ¿© °¢±¹ÀÇ Á¤ºÎ, Á¾±³, ±×¸®°í û¼Ò³â ´ÜüÀÇ ´ëÇ¥µéÀ» ÇÑ ÀÚ¸®¿¡ ¸ðÀ¸±â À§ÇÑ ¸ñÀûÀ̾ú´Ù.
The members of the youth organizations would also meet separately, to discuss peaceful actions in their communities. ¶ÇÇÑ, ±× û¼Ò³â ´ÜüµéÀÇ È¸¿øµéÀº ±×µéÀÇ Áö¿ª»çȸ¿¡¼ ÆòÈÀûÀÎ ÀϵéÀ» ÅäÀÇÇϱâ À§ÇØ µû·Î ¸¸³¯ °ÍÀÌ´Ù.
The organization, officially called ‘Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL)’, paid 80% of the plane ticket. ±× ´Üü´Â °ø½ÄÀûÀ¸·Î ‘ÇÏ´Ã ¹®È ¼¼°èÆòÈ ºûÀÇ È¸º¹ (HWPL); Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL)’ À̶ó°í ºÒ·ÈÀ¸¸ç, ºñÇà±â Ç¥ÀÇ 80%¸¦ ´ë½Å ÁöºÒÇØ ÁÖ¾ú´Ù.
The official name sounded a bit sketchy to me, looking at the religious connotation, but there would be discussions and it was staged as a secular event. By googling the name of the organization I could not find much, as it was going to be organized for the first time. ±× °ø½ÄÀû À̸§ÀÌ Á¾±³ÀûÀÎ Àǹ̿¡¼ º¸¸é ³ª¿¡°Ô ´Ù¼Ò ¸·¿¬ÇÏ°Ô µé·ÈÁö¸¸ ÀϹÝÀûÀÎ(¼¼¼ÓÀûÀÎ) Çà»ç·Î °³ÃÖµÉ °ÍÀÌ°í ÅäÀǵ鵵 ÀÖÀ» °ÍÀÌ´Ù »ý°¢Çß´Ù. ±× ´Üü´Â óÀ½À¸·Î Á¶Á÷µÇ¾ú±â ¶§¹®¿¡ ±¸±Û °Ë»öÀ¸·Î ±× ´Üü¿¡ ´ëÇÑ ³»¿ëÀ» ¸¹ÀÌ Ã£À» ¼ö°¡ ¾ø¾ú´Ù.
Eventually, the prospect of discussing actions for more peaceful societies, meeting representatives from youth organizations from all over the world and seeing the country convinced me to join the peace summit. °á±¹, ´õ ÆòÈ·Î¿î »çȸ¸¦ À§ÇÑ ÇൿÀ» ÀdzíÇÏ°í, Àü ¼¼°è û¼Ò³â ´ÜüµéÀÇ ´ëÇ¥µé°ú ¸¸³ª°í ¶ÇÇÑ ±× ³ª¶ó(Çѱ¹)¸¦ º¼ ¼ö ÀÖ´Ù´Â Àü¸ÁÀÌ ³»°¡ ±× 'ÆòÈ Á¤»ó ȸ´ã(the peace summit)'¿¡ Âü¿©ÇÏ°Ô Çß´Ù.
Upon arrival at the airport I was welcomed by a big group of members of the organization, which was quite a surprise. All day attendants of the Summit were arriving, and they got a warm welcome. °øÇ׿¡ µµÂøÇÏÀÚ¸¶ÀÚ ³ª´Â ±× ´ÜüÀÇ Å« ¹«¸®ÀÇ È¸¿øµé¿¡°Ô ȯ¿µÀ» ¹Þ¾Ò°í, ±× ȯ¿µÀº ³ª¸¦ ´Ù¼Ò ³î¶ó°Ô Çß´Ù. ¿ÂÁ¾ÀÏ ‘Á¤»óȸ´ã’ Âü°¡ÀÚµéÀÌ µµÂøÇÏ°í ÀÖ¾ú°í ±×µéµµ Å« ȯ´ë¸¦ ¹Þ¾Ò´Ù.
I was asked to go on a picture with ‘my’ arrival team, together with two persons in big suits, like mascots. Well, the picture explains it best. °øÇ׿¡ µµÂøÇÑ ¿ì¸®´Â ¸¶½ºÄÚÆ® °°Àº Å« ¿ÊÀ» ÀÔÀº µÎ »ç¶÷°ú ÇÔ²² »çÁøÀ» Âï¾î´Þ¶ó°í ºÎŹÀ» ¹Þ¾Ò´Ù. ¾Æ¸¶µµ, ±× »çÁøÀÌ ±× »óȲÀ» °¡Àå Àß ¼³¸íÇØ ÁÙ °ÍÀÌ´Ù.
After that we went straight to a conference location, where a preparation meeting was held, with the representatives of youth organizations. There was a lot of media and a main speech was given by a man of senior age, Mr. Man Hee Lee, the ‘honorary chairman’ of the organization. ±× ÀÌÈÄ ¿ì¸®´Â û¼Ò³â ´ÜüµéÀÇ ´ëÇ¥µé°ú ÇÔ²² Áغñ ¸ðÀÓÀÌ ¿¸®´Â ȸÀÇ Àå¼Ò·Î °ðÀå ÇâÇß´Ù. ±×°÷¿¡´Â ¸¹Àº ¾ð·Ð¸Åü°¡ ÀÖ¾ú°í, ±× ´ÜüÀÇ ‘¸í¿¹È¸Àå’ÀÎ À̸¸Èñ¶ó´Â ³ªÀÌ µç ÇÑ ³²ÀÚ°¡ ¸ÞÀÎ ¿¬¼³À» Çß´Ù.
He was introduced as a father figure to the youth and as a peace maker, as he travelled around the world to spread the message of peace. ±×´Â ÆòÈÀÇ ¸Þ½ÃÁö¸¦ ÀüÇϱâ À§ÇØ Àü ¼¼°è¸¦ µ¹¾Æ´Ù´Ï°í Àֱ⠶§¹®¿¡, ÀþÀºÀ̵鿡°Ô´Â ¾Æ¹öÁö °°Àº Á¸ÀçÀÌÀÚ ÆòÈÀÇ »çÀÚ·Î ¼Ò°³µÇ¾ú´Ù.
Allegedly he had all the answers to achieve world peace, but what that exactly meant did not become clear yet, except that we should all unite to make peace. ÀüÇÏ´Â ¹Ù·Î´Â, ±×´Â ¼¼°èÆòȸ¦ ÀÌ·ç±â À§ÇÑ ¸ðµç ÇØ´äÀ» °¡Áö°í ÀÖÁö¸¸ Æòȸ¦ ÀÌ·ç±â À§ÇØ ¿ì¸® ¸ðµÎ ÅëÇÕÇØ¾ß ÇÏ´Â °Í ¿Ü¿¡ ¸íÈ®ÇÏ°Ô ¹àÇôÁø °ÍÀº ¾ÆÁ÷ ¾ø´Ù´Â ÀǹÌÀÌ´Ù.
I discussed with some colleagues that it did not feel very promising, but probably we could advocate for different strategies and bottom-up approaches in the next meetings. Àü¸ÁÀÌ ÁÁÁö ¾ÊÀº °Í °°´Ù°í ¸î¸î µ¿·á¿Í ÀÇ°ßÀ» ³ª´©¾úÁö¸¸, ¾Æ¸¶µµ ´ÙÀ½ ȸÀÇ¿¡¼ ´Ù¸¥ Àü·«µé°ú »óÇâ½Ä Á¢±Ù ¹æ½Ä(¿ªÀÚÁÖ: ¹ØÀÇ ¿©·¯ ÀÇ°ßµéÀ» ¼ö·ÅÇÏ¿© »óºÎ ÂÊÀ¸·Î ÀÇ°ßÀ» Á¦½ÃÇÏ´Â ¹æ¹ý)µé·Î ¿ì¸®ÀÇ ÁÖÀåÀ» Æî ¼ö ÀÖÀ» °ÍÀ̶ó°í »ý°¢Çß´Ù.
We stayed in a hotel outside the city and the next day we drove with busses to a parking lot, next to a big stadium, which turned out to be the main stadium built for the 1988 Summer Olympics. ¿ì¸®´Â µµ½Ã ±Ù±³ È£ÅÚ¿¡ ¸Ó¹°·¶°í, ±× ´ÙÀ½ ³¯ Å« °æ±âÀå ¿·¿¡ ÀÖ´Â ÁÖÂ÷Àå ÂÊÀ¸·Î ¹ö½º¸¦ Ÿ°í °¬´Ù. ±×¸®°í ±× °æ±âÀåÀº 1988³â ¿Ã¸²ÇÈÀ» À§ÇØ °Ç¼³µÈ ÁÖ °æ±âÀåÀ̶ó´Â °ÍÀ» ¾Ë°Ô µÇ¾ú´Ù.
We were asked to wear traditional clothes from our countries. As I am from the Netherlands and we do not really have a traditional outfit, I was wearing an orange shirt of our national team. ¿ì¸®´Â ¿ì¸®³ª¶ó(¿ªÀÚÁÖ: ³×´ú¶õµå)ÀÇ ÀüÅëÀÇ»óÀ» ÀÔµµ·Ï ºÎŹÀ» ¹Þ¾Ò´Ù. ³ª´Â ³×´ú¶õµå¿¡¼ ¿Ô°í Á¤¸» ¿ì¸®´Â ÀüÅëÀÇ»óÀ» °¡Áö°í ÀÖÁö ¾Ê¾Ò±â ¶§¹®¿¡, ³ª´Â ¿ì¸® ±¹°¡´ëÇ¥ÆÀ(¿ªÀÚÁÖ: ¿À·»Áö ±º´Ü)ÀÇ ÁÖȲ»ö ¼ÅÃ÷¸¦ ÀÔ¾ú´Ù.
Others were wearing the most colorful clothes, making quite an impression, also taking in mind we were with around 300 people. Still we were not sure what exactly we were going to do. ´Ù¸¥ »ç¶÷µéÀº »ó´çÈ÷ ÀλóÀûÀÎ È·ÁÇÑ »ö±òÀÇ ¿ÊÀ» ÀÔ°í ÀÖ¾ú°í ¿ì¸®°¡ ¾à 300¸íÀÇ »ç¶÷µé°ú ÇÔ²² ÀÖ´Ù´Â °ÍÀ» ¶°¿Ã¸®°Ô Çß´Ù. ±×·¯³ª ¿ì¸®´Â Á¤È®È÷ ¹«¾ùÀ» ÇÒ °ÍÀÎÁö¸¦ ¾ÆÁ÷ ¾ËÁö ¸øÇß´Ù.
The stadium turned out to be fully packed (capacity 70.000), and we walked in via the athletes entrance, with cheering crowds and fireworks. Amazed at what we were experiencing, we took pictures and videos (please find a great one below), fearing that nobody would believe us if we did not. ±× °æ±âÀåÀº °¡µæ ä¿öÁ³°í(¼ö¿ëÀοø 7¸¸ ¸í), ȯȣÇÏ´Â °üÁßµé°ú ºÒ²É³îÀÌ¿Í ÇÔ²² ¿ì¸®´Â ¼±¼öÀÔÀå ÀÔ±¸¸¦ ÅëÇؼ °É¾î µé¾î¿Ô´Ù. ¿ì¸®°¡ °æÇèÇÑ °Íµé¿¡ ³î¶ó¸é¼, ¸¸¾à ¿ì¸®°¡ ÇÑ °ÍÀ» ¾Æ¹«µµ ¹ÏÁö ¾ÊÀ» °ÍÀ̶ó´Â °ÆÁ¤¿¡ ¿ì¸®´Â »çÁøµé°ú ºñµð¿À¸¦ Âï¾ú´Ù(¹Ø¿¡ ¸ÚÁø »çÁøÀ» ã¾Æº¸¼¼¿ä).
We were directed to a prominent place in the stadium, where we heard a couple of speeches and we witnessed some impressive show elements, with music, dances and fireworks. ¿ì¸®´Â °æ±âÀå¿¡¼ °¡Àå ´«¿¡ ¶ç´Â °÷À¸·Î ÇâÇß°í ±×°÷¿¡¼ ¸î °³ÀÇ ¿¬¼³À» µè°í, À½¾Ç, Ãã, ºÒ²É³îÀÌ °°Àº ´Ù¼Ò ÀλóÀûÀÎ ¼îµéÀ» º¸¾Ò´Ù.
Most special was the ‘human LCD’ card performance, in which hundreds of Korean youngsters depicted different ‘moving’ scenes. An American rabbi held an interesting speech, in which he continuously repeated “Let peace reign”, for example after some statement about Israel, but without any realism. °¡Àå Ưº°Çß´ø °ÍÀº ‘Àΰ£ Àü±¤ÆÇ(Ä«µå¼½¼Ç)’ Ä«µå °ø¿¬À̾ú´Âµ¥, ¼ö¹é ¸íÀÇ Çѱ¹ û³âµéÀÌ ´Ù¾çÇÑ ‘¿òÁ÷ÀÌ´Â’ Àå¸éµéÀ» ¹¦»çÇß´Ù. ÇÑ ¾Æ¸Þ¸®Ä À¯´ëÀÎ Á¾±³ÁöµµÀÚ´Â, Çö½Ç°¨µµ ¾øÀÌ, À̽º¶ó¿¤¿¡ ´ëÇÏ¿© ¸î °¡Áö »ç·Ê¸¦ ¾ð±ÞÇÏ°í ³ ÈÄ “ÆòÈ°¡ ÀÌ·ç¾îÁö°Ô Çսôٔ ¶ó°í ¿¬½Å µÇÇ®ÀÌÇÏ¸é¼ Èï¹Ì·Î¿î ¿¬¼³À» Çß´Ù.
Every time the crowd was cheering, but we noticed that was strange, since the crowd was mostly very young and many of them could probably not understand English (also older people usually had trouble with English). ¸Å¹ø °üÁßµéÀº ȯȣ¸¦ ÇßÁö¸¸, ¿ì¸®´Â ±×°ÍÀÌ ÀÌ»óÇß¾ú´Ù. ¿Ö³ÄÇÏ¸é ±× °üÁßµé ´ëºÎºÐÀÌ ¸Å¿ì Àþ°í, ±×µé Áß ¸¹Àº »ç¶÷µéÀº ¾Æ¸¶µµ ¿µ¾î¸¦ ÀÌÇØÇÒ ¼ö ¾ø¾úÀ» °ÍÀ̱⠶§¹®ÀÌ´Ù.(¶ÇÇÑ ³ªÀÌ µç »ç¶÷µµ º¸Åë ¿µ¾î¿¡ ¾î·Á¿òÀÌ ÀÖ´Ù).
In front of every section however, there was a person who ‘directed’ that part of the audience: if he or she started screaming, everybody would follow. ±×·¯³ª ¸ðµç ¼½¼Ç(±¸¿ª) ¾Õ¿¡´Â, ±× °üÁßµéÀ» ‘ÁöÈÖÇÏ´Â’ÇÏ´Â ÇÑ »ç¶÷ÀÌ ÀÖ¾ú´Ù. Áï, ±× ȤÀº ±×³à°¡ °íÇÔÀ» Áö¸£±â ½ÃÀÛÇϸé, ¸ðµç »ç¶÷ÀÌ µû¸£°ï Çß´Ù.
The main speech was again from Mr. Man Hee Lee, where I found out the real intentions behind the gathering. Previously Man Hee Lee spoke about “uniting all youngsters to achieve peace”, but now it became clear how exactly: by uniting under his religion. ´Ù½Ã, Áß¿äÇÑ ¿¬¼³ÀÌ À̸¸Èñ¾¾ºÎÅÍ ½ÃÀ۵Ǿú°í, ³ª´Â ±×Âë¿¡¼ ÀÌ ¸ðÀÓ À̸éÀÇ ÁøÂ¥ Àǵµ¸¦ ÆľÇÇÏ°Ô µÇ¾ú´Ù. ÀÌÀü¿¡´Â À̸¸Èñ°¡ “Æòȸ¦ ÀÌ·ç±â À§ÇØ ¸ðµç ÀþÀºÀ̵éÀÌ ÅëÇÕÇÏ´Â °Í” ¿¡ ´ëÇؼ ¿¬¼³ÇßÁö¸¸, Áö±ÝÀº ¾î¶»°Ô ÇÒÁö ¸í¹éÇÏ°Ô ¹àÇôÁ³´Ù. Áï ±×ÀÇ Á¾±³ÇÏ¿¡¼ ÅëÇÕÇÏ´Â °ÍÀÌ´Ù.
He explained that he was sent as a messenger from heaven to deliver this message and that uniting under the one true God was the only way to solve conflicts. Diversity was the problem. ±×´Â Çϴÿ¡¼ ¿Â »çÀڷμ ±×ÀÇ ¸Þ½ÃÁö¸¦ ÀüÇϱâ À§ÇØ º¸³»Á³°í ÇϳªÀÇ ÁøÁ¤ÇÑ ½Å ¾Æ·¡¿¡¼ ÅëÇÕ¸¸ÀÌ °¥µîÀ» ÇØ°áÇÏ´Â À¯ÀÏÇÑ ¹æ¹ýÀ̶ó°í ¼³¸íÇß´Ù. ´Ù¾çÇÑ Á¾±³°¡ ±× ¹®Á¦¿´´Ù.
At that moment I was sure that this ‘peace summit’ would not have a meaningful contribution. Back in the hotel I started googling to see if I could find more about Man Hee Lee and the movement. ±× ¼ø°£, ³ª´Â ÀÌ ‘ÆòÈ È¸´ã’ÀÌ ÆòÈ¿¡ ´ëÇÑ ÀÇ¹Ì ÀÖ´Â ±â¿©¸¦ °¡ÁöÁö ¸øÇÒ °ÍÀ̶ó°í È®½ÅÇß´Ù. È£ÅÚ·Î µ¹¾Æ¿Í¼, À̸¸Èñ¿Í ±× ¿îµ¿¿¡ ´ëÇÑ Á¤º¸¸¦ ´õ ãÀ» ¼ö ÀÖ´ÂÁö º¸±â À§ÇØ ±¸±ÛÀ» °Ë»öÇϱ⠽ÃÀÛÇß´Ù.
Some blogs (links below) explained that HWPL was actually a disguised body of the ‘Sincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony’, which Man Hee Lee founded in 1984. ¸î °³ÀÇ ºí·¯±×(¹Ø¿¡ ¿¬°áµÊ)°¡ HWPLÀº »ç½Ç ‘½ÅõÁö ¿¹¼ö±³ Áõ°ÅÀ帷¼ºÀü’ÀÇ À§ÀåÇÑ ´ÜüÀ̸ç, À̸¸Èñ°¡ 1984³â¿¡ â¾÷ÇÑ °ÍÀ̾ú´Ù°í ¼³¸íÇß´Ù.
It is best described as a Christian cult, with dubious teachings on the bible. The organization infiltrates schools and other churches, to recruit new members and to indoctrinate them. ±×°÷Àº ¼º°æ¿¡ ¹Ì½É½Àº ±³¸®µéÀ» °¡¸£Ä¡´Â ±âµ¶±³ ÀÌ´ÜÀ¸·Î Àß ¹¦»çµÇ¾î ÀÖ´Ù. ±× ´Üü´Â »õ·Î¿î ½ÅµµµéÀ» ¸ðÁýÇؼ ±×µé¿¡°Ô ±³¸®ÀûÀ¸·Î ¼¼³ú¸¦ ½ÃÅ°±â À§ÇØ ½ÅÇб³³ª ´Ù¸¥ ±³È¸µé¿¡ ¸ô·¡ ÀáÀÔÇÑ´Ù.
For foreigners they organize free Korean lessons and leisure events. While these foreigners don’t know exactly who organizes these free activities, on photo and video material it seems that they support the Church. ±×µéÀº ¿Ü±¹Àε鿡°Ô °øÂ¥ Çѱ¹¾î ¼ö¾÷À̳ª ¿©°¡ È°µ¿µéÀ» ÁغñÇØ ÁØ´Ù. ÀÌ ¿Ü±¹ÀεéÀº ´©°¡ ÀÌ·± ¹«·á È°µ¿µéÀ» ±âȹÇÏ´ÂÁö Á¤È®È÷ ¾ËÁö ¸øÇß°í, »çÁø°ú ºñµð¿À ÀÚ·áµéÀ» ÅëÇؼ ±×µéÀº ±³È¸¸¦ ÈÄ¿øÇÏ´Â °Íó·³ º¸¿´´Ù.
For similar reasons we were photographed so much in the stadium: we are excellent propaganda material for the South Korean people, showing them that Man Hee Lee has supporters from all over the world. ºñ½ÁÇÑ ÀÌÀ¯·Î, ¿ì¸®´Â °æ±âÀå¿¡¼ ¼ö¸¹Àº »çÁø¿¡ ÂïÇû´Ù. ´Ù½Ã ¸»Çؼ ¿ì¸®´Â Çѱ¹ »ç¶÷µé¿¡°Ô ÈǸ¢ÇÑ ¼±Àüµµ±¸¿´À¸¸ç ±×µé¿¡°Ô À̸¸Èñ°¡ Àü ¼¼°èÀûÀ¸·Î ¸¹Àº ÁöÁöÀÚµéÀ» °¡Áö°í ÀÖ´Ù´Â °ÍÀ» º¸¿©ÁÖ´Â °ÍÀ̾ú´Ù.
About those pictures it is interesting that they asked us to make a peace symbol with our hands, not the regular ‘V’, but with forefinger and thumb up, a bit like a gun. Most people did it without asking, but it turned out to be the symbol of the cult, again making beautiful PR material. ±× »çÁøµé¿¡ ´ëÇؼ Èï¹Ì·Î¿î Á¡Àº, ±×µéÀÌ ¿ì¸®ÀÇ ¼ÕÀ¸·Î ÆòÈÀÇ »ó¡À» ¸¸µé¾î ´Þ¶ó°í ¿ì¸®¿¡°Ô ºÎŹÇߴµ¥ ÀϹÝÀûÀÎ V ¸ð¾çÀÌ ¾Æ´Ï¶ó ¾öÁö¿Í °ËÁö¸¦ »ç¿ëÇÑ ÃÑ ¸ð¾çÀ̾ú´Ù. ´ëºÎºÐÀÇ »ç¶÷µéÀº º° Àǹ® ¾øÀÌ ±×·¸°Ô Çß°í, ´Ù½Ã ¾Æ¸§´Ù¿î È«º¸¹°À» ¸¸µé±â À§ÇÑ ±× »çÀ̺ñ Áý´ÜÀÇ »ó¡À̶ó´Â °ÍÀÌ µå·¯³µ´Ù.
While me and some other colleagues made plans to leave the conference, or at least to change our sleeping location to a hostel in the center, somebody from the organization came to talk to us. ³ª¿Í ¸î ¸íÀÇ ´Ù¸¥ µ¿·áµéÀÌ ±× Çà»ç(ÄÜÆÛ·±½º)ÀåÀ» ¶°³¯ °èȹÀ» ÇÏ°í, ¶Ç ÃÖ¼ÒÇÑ ÀáÀÚ´Â °÷À» È£½ºÅÚ·Î ¹Ù²Ù·Á°í ÇÏ´Â Áß¿¡, ±× ´ÜüÀÇ Áöü ³ôÀº ´©±º°¡ ¿ì¸®¿Í ´ëÈÇϱâ À§Çؼ ã¾Æ¿Ô´Ù.
At that moment around half of the youth organization representatives had gathered in the only room where internet was available. Our points of critique were expressed, focusing on the lack of discussions, the exclusive approach and the religious character of the meeting. ±×¶§, °¢±¹ û¼Ò³â ´Üü ´ëÇ¥µéÀÇ ¾à Àý¹Ý Á¤µµ°¡ ÀÎÅͳÝÀ» ÀÌ¿ëÇÒ ¼ö ÀÖ´Â ¹æ¿¡¼¸¸ ¸ð¿© ÀÖ¾ú´Ù. ¿ì¸®´Â Åä·ÐÀÇ ºÎÁ·, ÀϹæÀûÀÎ ÁøÇà ¹æ½Ä, ±×¸®°í ¸ðÀÓÀÇ Á¾±³Àû »öä¿¡ ´ëÇÑ ºÎºÐÀ» °Á¶ÇÏ¸é¼ ¿ì¸®ÀÇ ºñÆÇ ¿äÁö¸¦ ¹àÇû´Ù.
The manager listened to it and promised more discussions for the next day. But she also said that according to her we should be a bit happier maybe, as we were witnessing world history. And: if you are not for this peace summit, are you against peace? As we already lost our faith anyway, we booked the hostel. ±× °ü¸®ÀÚ´Â ±× ³»¿ëÀ» µè°í ´ÙÀ½³¯ ´õ ¸¹Àº Åä·ÐÀ» ¾à¼ÓÇß´Ù. ±×·¯³ª ±×³à¿¡ µû¸£¸é, ‘¿ì¸®´Â ¾Æ¸¶µµ ¿ì¸®°¡ ¼¼°èÀÇ ¿ª»ç¸¦ ¸ñ°ÝÇÏ°í Àֱ⠶§¹®¿¡ ´õ ÇູÇÒ ¼ö ÀÖÀ» °ÍÀÌ°í ±×¸®°í, ¸¸¾à ³ÊÈñµéÀÌ ÀÌ ÆòÈȸ´ãÀ» ÁöÁöÇÏÁö ¾Ê´Â´Ù¸é, ³ÊÈñµéÀº Æòȸ¦ ¹Ý´ë ÇÏ´Â °Å³Ä?’ ¶ó°í ¸»Çß´Ù. ¾î·µç ¿ì¸®´Â ÀÌ¹Ì ½Å·Ú¸¦ ÀÒ¾î¹ö·È±â ¶§¹®¿¡, ¿ì¸®´Â È£½ºÅÚ¿¡ ¿¹¾àÀ» Çß´Ù.
We were afraid to say the real reason that we left the hotel, so we just showed up in the morning with our suitcases. After the bus ride to the new conference location, we wanted to go first to the hostel, but our Protocol Officers explained it would be best to leave the suitcases in the baggage compartment in the bus, and pick it up at the end of the day, leaving us little choice. ¿ì¸®°¡ È£ÅÚÀ» ¶°³ª´Â ÁøÂ¥ ÀÌÀ¯¸¦ ¸»ÇϱⰡ ´Ù¼Ò µÎ·Á¿ü±â¿¡, ¿ì¸®´Â ´ÜÁö ¿©Çà °¡¹æÀ» °¡Áö°í ¾Æħ¿¡ ¸ð½ÀÀ» º¸¿´´Ù. ¹ö½º¸¦ Ÿ°í »õ Çà»çÀå(conference)¿¡ µµÂøÇؼ, ¿ì¸®´Â ¸ÕÀú È£½ºÅÚ·Î °¡±â¸¦ ¿øÇß´Ù. ±×·¯³ª (Çà»ç)ÀÇÀü ´ã´çÀÚµéÀÌ ¹ö½º¿¡ ÀÖ´Â ¼öȹ° Ä¿¡ °¡¹æÀ» ³²°ÜµÎ¾ú´Ù°¡ ±×³¯ ³¡³¯ ½Ã°£¿¡ °¡Á®°¡´Â °ÍÀÌ °¡Àå ÁÁÀ» °Í °°´Ù¸ç, ¼±ÅÃÀÇ ¿©Áö¸¦ ÁÖÁö ¾Ê°í ¼³¸íÇß´Ù.
You need to know that every three or four participants in the summit were accompanied by two ‘Protocol Officers’. They check if you feel good and if you can find the way. It seemed very nice at first, but in fact they were all the time checking where you are, in other words trying to control you and the situation. ¿©·¯ºÐµéÀº À̹ø ÆòÈ È¸´ã¿¡ Âü°¡ÇÑ ¸ðµç 3~4¸í¸¶´Ù µÎ ¸íÀÇ ÀÇÀü´ã´çÀÚµéÀÌ µ¿¹ÝÇÏ°í ÀÖ´Ù´Â °ÍÀ» ¾Æ¼Å¾ß ÇÒ ÇÊ¿ä°¡ ÀÖ½À´Ï´Ù. ±×µéÀº ´ç½ÅÀÌ ±âºÐÀÌ ÁÁÀºÁö, ±æÀº ãÀ» ¼ö ÀÖ´ÂÁö È®ÀÎÀ» ÇÕ´Ï´Ù. óÀ½¿¡´Â ¸Å¿ì Ä£ÀýÇÑ °Íó·³ º¸¿´Áö¸¸, »ç½Ç ±×µéÀº ´ç½ÅµéÀÌ ¾îµð ÀÖ´ÂÁö Ç×»ó È®ÀÎÇÏ°í ÀÖ¾ú½À´Ï´Ù. ´Ù½Ã ¸»Çؼ ´ç½Å°ú ´ç½ÅÀÇ »óȲÀ» ÅëÁ¦ÇÏ·Á°í ½Ãµµ¸¦ Çß´ø °ÍÀÌÁö¿ä.
After some time me and my rebellious colleagues went back to the bus anyway, to ask the driver if he could open the luggage compartment. He did it and we went to our booked hostel with a taxi. After dropping our suitcases in the hostel we got a bit lost in the Seoul subway, according to Wikipedia the longest metro system, but we made it back to the location. ¾ó¸¶ Áö³ªÁö ¾Ê¾Æ ³ª¿Í ±âºÐ »óÇÑ ³ªÀÇ µ¿·áµéÀÌ ´Ù½Ã ¹ö½º·Î µ¹¾Æ¿Ô°í, ¹ö½º±â»ç¿¡°Ô ȹ°ÄÀ» ¿¾îÁÙ ¼ö ÀÖ´ÂÁö ºÎŹÀ» Çß´Ù. ±×´Â ȹ°ÄÀ» ¿¾î ÁÖ¾ú°í, ¿ì¸®´Â Åýø¦ Ÿ°í ¿ì¸®°¡ ¿¹¾àÇÑ È£½ºÅÚ·Î °¬´Ù. ¿ì¸®´Â È£½ºÅÚ¿¡ ¿ì¸®ÀÇ ÁüÀ» Ç®°í, À§Å°Çǵð¾Æ¿¡ µû¸£¸é °¡Àå ±ä ¸ÞÆ®·Î(Àα¸ õ¸¸ÀÌ ³Ñ´Â µµ½Ã) ½Ã½ºÅÛÀÎ ¼¿ï ÁöÇÏö¿¡¼ Àá½Ã ±æÀ» ÀÒ¾î¹ö·ÈÁö¸¸ È£½ºÅÚ·Î ¹«»çÈ÷ µ¹¾Æ¿Ô´Ù.
My Protocol Officers were happy that I was back, but they seemed frightened and even a bit desperate. Another colleague told me that he saw that my Protocol Officer had a strong conversation about my absence with her manager and afterwards she was in tears. ³ªÀÇ ÀÇÀü´ã´çÀÚµéÀº ³»°¡ µ¹¾Æ¿Í¼ ±â»µÇϱâ´Â ÇßÁö¸¸, ±×µéÀº ´Ù¼Ò ³î¶õ ´«Ä¡¿´À¸¸ç ½ÉÁö¾î ´Ù¼Ò Àý¸Á½º·¯¿ö ÇÏ´Â °Íó·³ º¸¿´´Ù. ´Ù¸¥ ³ªÀÇ µ¿·á°¡ ¸»ÇØ Áֱ⸦ ³ªÀÇ ÀÇÀü ´ã´çÀÚ´Â ³ªÀÇ ºÎÀç¿¡ ´ëÇØ ±×³àÀÇ °ü¸®ÀÚ¿Í ¾ð¼ºÀÌ ³ô¾ÒÀ¸¸ç ³ªÁß¿¡´Â ±×³à°¡ ¿ï¾ú´Ù°í ¸»ÇØ ÁÖ¾ú´Ù.
In general the Protocol Officers and the other volunteers seemed constantly very tired, showing a big lack of sleep. During the last two evenings they often had briefings, while they did not even sleep at the hostel. ´ëüÀûÀ¸·Î, ÀÇÀü´ã´çÀÚµé°ú ´Ù¸¥ ºÀ»çÀÚµéÀº °è¼Ó ¸Å¿ì ÇÇ°ïÇØ º¸¿´°í, ¸¹Àº ¼ö¸é ºÎÁ·À» º¸¿´´Ù. Áö³ ÀÌƲ ¹ã µ¿¾È, ±×µéÀº È£½ºÅÚ¿¡¼ ÇѼûµµ ¾ÈÀÚ°í ÀÚÁÖ ºê¸®ÇÎÀ» ÇÏ¿´´Ù.
The morning program consisted of a ceremony to sign a document, calling for the cessation of all wars. Effectively, smartly formulated, the document meant a submission of allegiance to the Sincheonji Church. ±×³¯ ¾Æħ ÇÁ·Î±×·¥Àº ¸ðµç ÀüÀïÁ¾½ÄÀ» ¿ä±¸Çϸç, ¹®¼¿¡ ¼¸íÇÏ´Â ÀǽÄÀ¸·Î ±¸¼ºµÇ¾î ÀÖ¾ú´Ù. È¿À²ÀûÀ¸·Î Àß ¸¸µé¾îÁø ±× ¹®¼´Â ½ÅõÁö¿¡ ´ëÇÑ Ã漺ÀÇ Ç׺¹À» ÀǹÌÇß´Ù.
There was quite some pressure to sign from the Protocol Officers, but I refused, explaining that I would have to discuss it with my organization first. After the lunch we were waiting for the planned discussions, but when again endless and pointless speeches were announced, me and some other colleagues left the summit for good. ¹®¼¿¡ ¼¸íÇ϶ó´Â ÀÇÀü´ã´çÀÚµéÀÇ »ó´çÇÑ ¾Ð¹ÚÀÌ ÀÖ¾úÁö¸¸, ¿ì¼± ³ªÀÇ ¼Ò¼Ó ´Üü¿Í ÇÔ²² ±×°ÍÀ» ÀdzíÇØ¾ß ÇÒ °Í °°´Ù°í ¼³¸íÇÏ¸é¼ ¼¸íÇÏ´Â °ÍÀ» °ÅºÎÇß´Ù. Á¡½É ½Ä»ç ÈÄ¿¡ ¿ì¸®´Â ¿¹Á¤µÈ ÅäÀǸ¦ ±â´Ù·ÈÁö¸¸ ¶Ç´Ù½Ã ³¡¾ø°í ¿äÁ¡ÀÌ ¾ø´Â ¸»ÀÌ ¹ßÇ¥µÇ¾ú°í, ³ª¿Í ´Ù¸¥ µ¿·áµéÀº ¿µ¿øÈ÷ ±× ÆòÈȸ´ãÀ» ¶°³µ´Ù.
As I was still afraid to inform my Protocol Officers about the real reason (they could still cancel my plane ticket), we left pretty suddenly. I was sitting next to a Protocol Officer and I saw that she lost all the color in her face when I stood up to leave. She started calling quickly, as there is always a second Officer near the door, to stop people. But that person must have been gone for a moment, as we quickly walked towards the main exit. ¿©ÀüÈ÷, ³ªÀÇ ÀÇÀü´ã´çÀڵ鿡°Ô (³»°¡ ¶°³ª´Â) ÁøÂ¥ ÀÌÀ¯¿¡ ´ëÇØ ¾Ë¸®´Â °ÍÀ» µÎ·Á¿ü±â ¶§¹®¿¡ (±×µéÀÌ ¿©ÀüÈ÷ ³ªÀÇ ºñÇà±â Ç¥¸¦ Ãë¼Ò½Ãų ¼ö Àֱ⿡), ¿ì¸®´Â °©ÀÛ½º·´°Ô ¶°³µ´Ù. ³ª´Â ÇÑ ÀÇÀü´ã´çÀÚ ¿·¿¡ ¾É¾Æ ÀÖ¾ú´Âµ¥, ³»°¡ ÀϾ ¶°³ª·Á°í ÇÒ ¶§ ±×³àÀÇ ¾ó±¼ÀÌ »ç»öÀÌ µÇ¾î ¹ö¸° °ÍÀ» º¸¾Ò´Ù. ¶Ç ÇÑ ¸íÀÇ ÀÇÀü ´ã´çÀÚ´Â Ç×»ó ¹® ÀÔ±¸ ±Ùó¿¡ ÀÖ¾ú±â ¶§¹®¿¡, ±×³à´Â »ç¶÷À» ÀâÀ¸¶ó°í »¡¸® ¿ÜÄ¡±â ½ÃÀÛÇß´Ù. ±×·¯³ª ±× »ç¶÷Àº Àá½Ã ´Ù¸¥ °÷¿¡ °¡ ÀÖ¾ú±â ¶§¹®¿¡ ¿ì¸®´Â »¡¸® ¸ÞÀÎ ÀÔ±¸ ÂÊÀ¸·Î °É¾î°¬´Ù.
Outside, across the street, there were around 20 protesters, having big flags, warning people about the destructive aspects of the cult. Some of them were screaming at the top of their lungs towards the building, hoping that somebody would get their message. ±æ °Ç³Ê ¹Ù±ùÂÊ¿¡¼´Â, Å« Çö¼ö¸·°ú ÇÔ²² ¾à 20¸íÀÇ ½ÃÀ§ÀÚµéÀÌ ÀÖ¾ú°í »çÀ̺ñÁ¾±³ÀÇ Æı«ÀûÀÎ ¸éÀ» »ç¶÷µé¿¡°Ô °æ°íÇÏ°í ÀÖ´Ù. ±×µé ÁßÀÇ ÀϺδ ¸ñÀÌ ÅÍÁ®¶ó ±× (Çà»çÀå) °Ç¹° ÂÊÀ¸·Î °íÇÔÀ» Ä¡¸é¼, ´©±º°¡´Â ±×µéÀÇ ¸Þ½ÃÁö¸¦ ¹Þ±â¸¦ ¹Ù¶ó°í ÀÖ¾ú´Ù.
I spoke to a woman who was involved and she explained that her daughter was brainwashed by the organization and that she had not seen her for some years now. ³ª´Â ½ÃÀ§¿¡ Âü¿©ÇÏ°í ÀÖ´ø ÇÑ ¿©¼º¿¡°Ô ¸»À» °É¾ú°í, ±×³àÀÇ µþÀÌ ±× ´Üü¿¡ ¼¼³úµÇ¾ú°í Áö±Ý ¸î ³â µ¿¾È µþÀ» º¸Áö ¸øÇß´Ù°í ¼³¸íÇß´Ù.
We left as quickly as possible, feeling sad about the whole adventure. I was still nervous if my return ticket was not going to be cancelled. We spent our last 1,5 day with sightseeing, but I could not enjoy so much anymore. From other Koreans we learned that there are more religious cults in South Korea, but they are exceptions and we should not judge the whole of South Korea with our experience. ¿ì¸®´Â ÀÌ ¸ðµç ¸ðÇè¿¡ ´ëÇÏ¿© ½½ÇÄÀ» ¾È°í »¡¸® ÀÚ¸®¸¦ ¹þ¾î³µ´Ù. ³ª´Â ¿©ÀüÈ÷ ³ªÀÇ µ¹¾Æ¿À´Â ºñÇà±â Ç¥°¡ Ãë¼ÒµÇÁö ¾Ê¾Ò±â¸¦ ÃÊÁ¶ÇØÇÏ°í ÀÖ¾ú´Ù. ¿ì¸®´Â Áö³ 1.5ÀÏ °£ÀÇ ½Ã°£À» °ü±¤ÇÏ¸é¼ º¸³Â´Âµ¥, ³ª´Â ´õÀÌ»ó ¾Æ¹«°Íµµ Áñ±æ ¼ö°¡ ¾ø¾ú´Ù. ´Ù¸¥ Çѱ¹Àεé·ÎºÎÅÍ Çѱ¹¿¡´Â ´õ ¸¹Àº »çÀ̺ñ Á¾±³µéÀÌ ÀÖ´Ù´Â °ÍÀ» ¾Ë°Ô µÇ¾ú´Ù. ÇÏÁö¸¸ ±×µéÀº »çÀ̺ñ Á¾±³µéÀº ¿¹¿ÜÀûÀ̱⠶§¹®¿¡ ´ÜÁö ¿ì¸®ÀÇ °æÇèÀ¸·Î Çѱ¹ Àüü¸¦ ÆÇ´ÜÇÏÁö ¸»¾Æ¾ß ÇÑ´Ù.
From some critical blogs I learned that the Sincheonji Church organizes these big events every couple of years or so, but every time under a new name. Every time the name of the event gets a lot of negative references afterwards, so they want to start with a clean sheet. ºñÆÇÀûÀÎ ºí·Î±×µéÀ» ÅëÇØ, ½ÅõÁö±³È¸°¡ ¸Å 2~3³â¸¶´Ù ÀÌ·± Å« Çà»çµéÀ», ¸Å¹ø »õ·Î¿î À̸§À¸·Î, ±âȹÇÑ´Ù´Â °ÍÀ» ¾Ë°Ô µÇ¾ú´Ù. ¸Å¹ø ±× Çà»çÀÇ À̸§µéÀÌ ³ªÁß¿¡ ¸¹Àº ºÎÁ¤ÀûÀÎ ¸»µéÀ» ¾ò°Ô µÇ´Ï, ±×µéÀº (¼ÓÀ̱â À§ÇØ) ±ú²ýÇÑ ÀÌ·ÂÀ¸·Î ½ÃÀÛÇϱ⸦ ¿øÇÑ´Ù.
Now, looking back, it was an enlightening experience to see how religious cults function from the inside. It reinforced my fear of collectivism and top-down approaches. Also it showed me once more how religion can be a destructive force. ÀÌÁ¦ ´Ù½Ã ȸ»ó¿¡ º¸¸é, (»çÀ̺ñ Á¶Á÷)³»ºÎ¿¡¼ ¾î¶»°Ô »çÀ̺ñ Á¾±³µéÀÌ(½ÅµµµéÀ» º¼¸ð·Î Àâ±â À§ÇØ)ÀÛ¿ëÀ» ¹ßÈÖÇÏ´ÂÁö »ìÆ캼 ¼ö ÀÖµµ·Ï Àϱú¿ö ÁÖ´Â °æÇèÀ̾ú´Ù. ±×°ÍÀº Áý»êÁÖÀÇ ¿Í ÇÏÇâ½Ä Á¢±Ù ¹æ¹ý(À§¿¡¼ ¹ØÀ¸·Î Áö½ÃÇÏ´Â ¹æ½Ä)ÀÇ µÎ·Á¿òÀ» °È½ÃÄÑ ÁÖ¾ú´Ù.(»çÀ̺ñ Áý´ÜÀÇ ¿î¿µ ¹æ½ÄÀ» ¸»ÇÏ´Â °Í °°À½) ¶ÇÇÑ ±×°ÍÀº ³ª¿¡°Ô (»çÀ̺ñ) Á¾±³°¡ ¾ó¸¶³ª Æı«ÀûÀÎ ÈûÀÌ µÉ ¼ö ÀÖ´ÂÁö ÇÑ ¹ø ´õ º¸¿© ÁÖ¾ú´Ù.
Of course I should have looked better into the real organization behind the peace summit and who sponsors it. Hopefully the next time the Sincheonji Church organizes such an event, under a new name probably, people will think twice. ¹°·Ð, ³ªµµ ÆòÈȸ´ãÀ̶ó´Â À̸§ µÚÀÇ ÁøÂ¥ ´Üü¿Í ´©°¡ ±× ´Üü¸¦ ÈÄ¿øÇÏ´ÂÁö¸¦ ´õ Àß »ìÆ캸¾Ò¾î¾ß Çß´Ù. Èñ¸ÁÀûÀÎ °ÍÀº, ´ÙÀ½¹ø¿¡ ½ÅõÁö ±³È¸°¡, ¾Æ¸¶µµ »õ·Î¿î À̸§À¸·Î, ±×¿Í °°Àº Çà»ç¸¦ ±âȹÇÑ´Ù¸é »ç¶÷µéÀº ÇÑ ¹ø ´õ »ý°¢ÇÒ °ÍÀÌ´Ù.
Ironically, in the end we indeed united as one, but then against Mr. Man Hee Lee and his deceiving practices. ¾ÆÀÌ·¯´ÏÇÏ°Ôµµ, °á±¹ ¿ì¸®´Â Á¤¸» ÇѸ¶À½À¸·Î ÅëÇյǾúÁö¸¸ À̸¸Èñ¿Í ±×ÀÇ ±â¸¸ÇàÀ§µé°ú´Â ¹Ý´ë°¡ µÇ¾ú´Ù.