[Exclusive] “Someone Save Me”...Female Member of Shincheonji Falls Again in Jeongeup

[Cheonji-Ilbo: Reporters Hong Soo-young, Lee Mi-ae, and Kim Do-eun] “she kept calling me and said, ‘Save me, I think I'm going to die like this’”

After the spread of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Shincheonji Church of Jesus had another death in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, amid difficulties at home and at work. This is the second death since the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to North Jeolla Province, Jeongeup Police Station, and Shincheonji on the 10th, a 41-year-old Shincheonji believer (Ms. A) who lives in an apartment in Suseong-dong, Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, died in the fall on the 9th at 10:36 p.m. Residents who witnessed Ms. A reported to 119. The paramedics were dispatched and performed CPR, but Ms. A had already passed away.

The Shincheonji believer was classified as a person subject to active monitoring after being tested negative for COVID-19 on the 28th. She has been monitored by the health authorities twice a day via phone. It was later revealed the second test she received on the 8th also tested negative.

Unfortunately, Ms. A ended her life on the 9th, which was four days before the active surveillance order was lifted,

Ms. B, a friend of Ms. A and a fellow member of Shincheonji, found out that her friend had died when she received a phone call from Ms. A's husband asking her to take care of the children because his wife had “jumped off a building”.

According to Ms. B, the conflict between Ms. A and her husband intensified as malicious public opinions increased about Shincheonji due to the recent CoronaVirus Incident.

Ms. C, an official of the women's department from the same church women's association, claimed the same information. In a meeting with the Cheonji News, she stated that Ms. A called and asked her to “save me.” Ms. A has said before that “I am going to die at this rate.”

According to Ms. A's acquaintances, she found out to be a member of Shincheonji about two years ago. Starting from that time, her husband held strict control over her by setting curfews.

Her husband's persecution did not stop there. They claimed that he woke her up while she was sleeping by “pouring water” on her. They also claimed that he assaulted his wife when she returned home. They stated that they even witnessed this as they followed her home several times. They also realized the assault when they found bruises on Ms. A’s body several times. Ms. D, another member of the women’s department, stated “we would ask her about the bruises when we saw them but she didn’t say much. She’s the type to hold everything in and withstand it alone”.

In addition, Ms. D said Ms. A’s husband's persecution intensified after the coronavirus outbreak. She also said that during the active monitoring period, Ms. A’s husband forced her to “choose between faith and family.” Ms. A was unable to overcome the pressure and said she would choose the family. She was forced to call all of her church acquaintances and tell them, “I gave up my religion,” Ms. A felt apologetic and ashamed that such things had happened.

Ms. B stated that Ms. A felt more sorry because there was a time when her husband even came to the church and caused a commotion.

In conclusion, her acquaintances testified that Ms. A was suffering but tried to protect her family. Despite such efforts, Ms. A had passed away.

However, Ms. C argues that Ms. A will never make such an extreme choice. She said, “Ms. A has always been a 'hard worker.' She also worked hard for her family and had a great hope for God. “She tried to keep her promise with her husband perfectly,” she said. She stressed that “she is not the type to make such an extreme choice.”

She added that “Just like the harsh social view of Shincheonji, Ms. A's husband also became a person who made things difficult for his wife and became less and less understanding, making it hard to have a conversation.” She criticized that Ms. A’s accident has been caused by the frame of being a heresy and hatred towards Shincheonji that our society has created.

Ms. B stated that Ms. A continued to be in a state of anxiety, telling her “Please take care of my children if something wrong happens to me (during the active monitoring period)”. Ms. A was able to regain comfort in her heart and stability thanks to many people, such as Ms. D. However, they testified that the conflict continued to increase when Ms. A’s husband became angry when he saw her trying to study the bible at home during the active monitoring period.

Ms. C reminsed Ms. A saying “she smiled and said let’s study diligently together.” and was at a loss for words as she shed tears.

Her friend, Ms. B said, “Ms. A's husband said that he didn't know that Ms. A would make an extreme choice.” However, Ms. E, a fellow church member with Ms. A, told our newspaper that her husband often said, “I will kill all Shincheonji members even if I go to jail.” In this case, it can also be seen as motivated by the murder, drawing attention to how the police investigation will take place.

Police will request the National Institute of Scientific Investigation to conduct an autopsy on the 11th, but there is a possibility that the autopsy may not be carried out if the bereaved families oppose it.

In addition, police are investigating the circumstances of the incident, checking CCTVs around apartments or black boxes of nearby vehicles.

At around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 26, A, a 60-year-old female member of Shincheonji living in Ulsan, also fell from the seventh floor of the villa and died. The police are still investigating to determine the exact cause of her death.

Earlier, a woman in her 60s living in Ulsan fell from her villa on the 26th of last month just because she was a member of Shincheonji. This incident seems very similar to Ms.A's case for they happened at a time when criticism and hatred towards the members of Shincheonji were widening due to the coronavirus incident.

Lee Chang-soo, head of the Institute for Corporate Rights and Social Affairs, said in a telephone interview with the Cheonji News, “Currently in our country, there are wrongful actions of preventing individuals from practicing their religious activities by their families.” He also criticized “Also domestic violence in families is a projection of the patriarchal and feudal ruling order that is seen in the middle ages. It reflects the absence of respect within the family”.

He added, "It is wrong to impose your belief system and faith system on your children and family members in a patriarchal way. A person can choose a religion for themselves.” He also stated that “It is also wrong that the social atmosphere (for certain religions) has become bad and forced conversion or violence is justified.”

Lawyer Kang Shin-up also said in a telephone interview with Dong-A News, “Our country has freedom of religion. However, people have been exposed as members of Shincheonji in the process of conducting a full survey of Shincheonji believers after the coronavirus incident. this lead to violence, discrimination and distrust,” he pointed out.

Lawyer Kang stressed that “Currently, it’s not easy to prevent such harm. However, the government and local organizations can declare enforcements and take measures to bring strong punishments to individuals who discriminate or assault others with the reasons that a person is a member of Shincheonji or infected with the COVID-19.”

Park Kwang-seo, former head of the Institute for Religious Freedom Policy (Jong Ja-yeon), said, "the covid-19 is a global issue, not an issue only in the Korean Peninsula. To create a social issue of a certain religion should be taken with extreme caution and should be retrained.” he added that “the public consensus that this issue should be solved with science and general knowledge comes first.”