Gumsuwon turns into commune
By Kim Da-ye
GEUMSUWON ― A clash looks inevitable as the prosecution bids its time to raid Geumsuwon, the stronghold of the Salvation Sect, to arrest Yoo Byung-eun, the de facto owner of the sunken Sewol ferry.
Hundreds of Yoo's supporters are guarding the sprawling retreat, where Yoo is suspected to be hiding.
It may be easy to lump Yoo among phony religious leaders, who promote themselves as a messiah; but it appears to be more complicated.
The Salvation Sect, formed in the 1960s, is a divided group.
The sect and the Evangelical Baptist Church aren't the same.
Some followers of the sect founded the church in the 1980s, and some did not join the latter. Yoo Byung-eun never did.
Steve Jeon, a former professor at an American university and a Salvation Sect member, said that followers have different opinions about protecting Yoo.
"Some people ask why they should protect him when he is not a church member. There are many different thoughts here. Some wonder why the chairman doesn't come out and face the prosecution. Some argue he doesn't have reason to do so when the media and prosecution are unfair," said Jeon.
The differences may be explained by the Salvation Sect being an amalgam of religion, livelihood, lifestyle and community.
"People must think Yoo is the religious leader judging by followers blocking the entrance to protect him. The followers gathered at the entrance don't think the same. Many aren't connected to Yoo through religion, but have their lives linked to Yoo," said Lee Jae-oak, chairman of Hemato-Life Centric Foundation and a former auditor of a Semo Group affiliate.
Lee said that the followers guarding the gate consist largely of two groups ― the mothers' society within the Salvation Sect and members of the Evangelical Baptist Church.
Many members of the mothers' society earn their living as sales people at Dapanda, a distributor affiliate of the Semo Group. The boycott of the group and anger against the sect has hit Dapanda's sales as well as employees' reputations.
"Some complain business came to a halt, while some demand compensation for the prices of the photography works by Yoo Byung-eun they bought having crashed. It's a very complicated situation," Lee said.
"We will lose everything when we lose the church," shouted the followers blocking the entrance, and the slogan may not be an exaggeration for them.
In the meantime, the Evangelical Baptist Church members are trying to protect Geumsuwon as a religious facility rather than guarding Yoo.
"Why should prosecutors come here again? They have already searched the church and seized documents," said a follower guarding the gate. He referred to the prosecution's raid of the Evangelical Baptist Church's main Seoul branch in Yongsan-gu.
Lee added that the mothers' society and the Baptist church have different opinions on how to deal with the media, so ended up issuing two statements last Thursday. Cho Gye-woong, the spokesperson for the Baptist church, for example, read only the church's statement.
Many followers of the Salvation Sect seem to be loyal not only for religious reasons but also because their livelihood and lifestyle now depend on it.
Geumsuwon epitomizes such a connection. The compound isn't just a religious facility, but devotees live there and do fish farming, raise dairy cows and grow vegetables to feed themselves and earn money. They consume what they produce, and some make money by selling the produce to followers or to general consumers.
Park Young-hwan, a team leader of Sunyoung Dairy Farm located within Geumsuwon, said that 79 dairy cows produce just enough milk for church members and only a little gets sold to outsiders.
Each follower barricading the entrance was given an egg and two candies as snack. "It's an organic egg," said a follower, offering one to this reporter. The candies branded "Sweet Green & Green" were made of green tea powder produced on a tea farm in South Jeolla Province owned by the church.
And their principles in pursuing the businesses have been strongly influenced by Yoo. Cho Pyeong-soon, a Salvation Sect follower who takes care of the fish farms, said that they grow catfish because Yoo has fond memories of catching catfish in his childhood.
The atmosphere at Geumsuwon is indicative of a closely knit community rather than a religious facility built on Yoo's personality cult. Lee said that Yoo is no longer religious and stopped delivering sermons a long time ago to focus on running businesses.
Lee said that he got to know Yoo while talking about medicine, not religion. "The chairman doesn't understand the bible religiously. He reads it to understand health and history," Lee said.
By Kim Da-ye
 |
| Yoo Byung-eun |
Hundreds of Yoo's supporters are guarding the sprawling retreat, where Yoo is suspected to be hiding.
It may be easy to lump Yoo among phony religious leaders, who promote themselves as a messiah; but it appears to be more complicated.
The Salvation Sect, formed in the 1960s, is a divided group.
The sect and the Evangelical Baptist Church aren't the same.
Some followers of the sect founded the church in the 1980s, and some did not join the latter. Yoo Byung-eun never did.
Steve Jeon, a former professor at an American university and a Salvation Sect member, said that followers have different opinions about protecting Yoo.
"Some people ask why they should protect him when he is not a church member. There are many different thoughts here. Some wonder why the chairman doesn't come out and face the prosecution. Some argue he doesn't have reason to do so when the media and prosecution are unfair," said Jeon.
The differences may be explained by the Salvation Sect being an amalgam of religion, livelihood, lifestyle and community.
"People must think Yoo is the religious leader judging by followers blocking the entrance to protect him. The followers gathered at the entrance don't think the same. Many aren't connected to Yoo through religion, but have their lives linked to Yoo," said Lee Jae-oak, chairman of Hemato-Life Centric Foundation and a former auditor of a Semo Group affiliate.
Lee said that the followers guarding the gate consist largely of two groups ― the mothers' society within the Salvation Sect and members of the Evangelical Baptist Church.
Many members of the mothers' society earn their living as sales people at Dapanda, a distributor affiliate of the Semo Group. The boycott of the group and anger against the sect has hit Dapanda's sales as well as employees' reputations.
"Some complain business came to a halt, while some demand compensation for the prices of the photography works by Yoo Byung-eun they bought having crashed. It's a very complicated situation," Lee said.
"We will lose everything when we lose the church," shouted the followers blocking the entrance, and the slogan may not be an exaggeration for them.
In the meantime, the Evangelical Baptist Church members are trying to protect Geumsuwon as a religious facility rather than guarding Yoo.
"Why should prosecutors come here again? They have already searched the church and seized documents," said a follower guarding the gate. He referred to the prosecution's raid of the Evangelical Baptist Church's main Seoul branch in Yongsan-gu.
Lee added that the mothers' society and the Baptist church have different opinions on how to deal with the media, so ended up issuing two statements last Thursday. Cho Gye-woong, the spokesperson for the Baptist church, for example, read only the church's statement.
Many followers of the Salvation Sect seem to be loyal not only for religious reasons but also because their livelihood and lifestyle now depend on it.
Geumsuwon epitomizes such a connection. The compound isn't just a religious facility, but devotees live there and do fish farming, raise dairy cows and grow vegetables to feed themselves and earn money. They consume what they produce, and some make money by selling the produce to followers or to general consumers.
Park Young-hwan, a team leader of Sunyoung Dairy Farm located within Geumsuwon, said that 79 dairy cows produce just enough milk for church members and only a little gets sold to outsiders.
Each follower barricading the entrance was given an egg and two candies as snack. "It's an organic egg," said a follower, offering one to this reporter. The candies branded "Sweet Green & Green" were made of green tea powder produced on a tea farm in South Jeolla Province owned by the church.
And their principles in pursuing the businesses have been strongly influenced by Yoo. Cho Pyeong-soon, a Salvation Sect follower who takes care of the fish farms, said that they grow catfish because Yoo has fond memories of catching catfish in his childhood.
The atmosphere at Geumsuwon is indicative of a closely knit community rather than a religious facility built on Yoo's personality cult. Lee said that Yoo is no longer religious and stopped delivering sermons a long time ago to focus on running businesses.
Lee said that he got to know Yoo while talking about medicine, not religion. "The chairman doesn't understand the bible religiously. He reads it to understand health and history," Lee said.
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