'God will resolve it': Park Jin-young responds to religious controversy
Park Jin-young / Captured from YouTube
Singer and producer Park Jin-young has personally pushed back against allegations that his religious group, Firstfruits, is a heretical or pseudo-religious organization. He suggested that such accusations amount to “persecution” and that the matter will eventually resolve itself according to God's will.
In a lecture video posted Tuesday on the Firstfruits YouTube channel, Park said, “We are now beginning to hear people call us heretics and a cult, and are starting to face a great deal of persecution in earnest.” He added that “things will be resolved at the right time and in the right way.”
“It is not something that can be resolved by debating doctrine or organizing people to go out and post comments,” he said, emphasizing that “God will take care of that resolution as well.”
The lecture, titled “False Confidence vs. True Confidence,” runs for just over an hour and seven minutes. During the talk, Park also explained what led him to embrace religion.
“For the first time, when I turned 40, things didn't go the way I wanted,” he said, reflecting on his past. “Before then, even if I failed, I would keep trying and eventually succeed. That's how I lived for 40 years.”
“That's why I didn't need God. But when I turned 40, I faced a desperate situation for the first time and had no idea what to do,” he recalled. “I lost my confidence and turned to God. You need God when your confidence has crumbled,” he said.
Park has previously faced questions about his religious activities. In 2014, allegations surfaced about his possible ties to the Evangelical Baptist Church of Korea, commonly known as the Salvation Sect, or "Guwonpa" in Korean. In 2018, he faced renewed scrutiny over reports that he had attended a gathering associated with the group.
At the time, he addressed the controversy on social media, saying, “My Bible study group has absolutely nothing to do with the Salvation Sect.” He added, “I don't belong to any church or denomination. I don't want to be tied down to any particular denomination.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.