K-pop singer Kyoungyoon under fire for his parents’ alleged ties to convicted rapist’s cult church
- Kyoungyoon of boy band DKZ was unaware of the religious activities carried out by his parents and believed them to be part of a ‘normal’ church
- The life of convicted rapist Jung Myung-seok, founder of the cult church Christian Gospel Mission, is depicted in a Netflix docuseries about Korean preachers
Kyoungyoon of boy band DKZ said through his label that he was unaware of the religious activities carried out by his parents and believed them to be part of a “normal” church.
“Kyoungyoon was shocked after realising the truth and watching the series about the Christian Gospel Mission (CGM),” Dongyo Entertainment said in a statement on Tuesday.
Kyoungyoon’s family has been embroiled in controversy since the streaming giant released In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal on March 3.
The show examines the chilling true stories of four South Korean preachers claiming to be prophets, including Jung, who founded CGM, also known as Providence or JMS, in 1980.
The intrigue surrounding the documentary unleashed a trove of personal details of businesses associated with Jung’s group online. One such information identified a cafe owned by Kyoungyoon’s parents in the eastern province of North Gyeongsang, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
The star’s label added his parents “immediately halted the eatery’s operation and severed ties with the church and pledged they will not align with it in the future”.
Dongyo also said Kyoungyoon expressed regret for overlooking issues related to his family. “Although ignorance is no excuse, he never had the slightest desire to act in the interest of the organisation in question or defend its crimes,” it said.
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Kyoungyoon, however, found support from his fans who said it was unfair to target him as he was not part of the church. Others wondered how his parents could feign ignorance about CGM and its infamous leader Jung.
The 77-year-old had served 10 years in prison for raping three South Korean followers during an overseas preaching trip, which included a visit to Hong Kong where he was also held for overstaying his visa, and released on HK$10 million bail (US$1.27 million). He was arrested in mainland China and deported in 2008.
Jung is currently awaiting trial after being arrested on charges of sexually assaulting two women from 2018 to 2021.
Earlier this month, a Seoul court threw out a defamation lawsuit filed by CGM that sought to ban the eight-episode series.
