IWPG held memorial to ban coercive conversion

The International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) held several memorial services across the world in honour of the late Ji-In Gu – a young South Korean woman who passed away while being forced conversion. The memorial service took place 49 days after Gu’s death (December 2017) which is a Korean tradition and was held in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Harare, Zimbabwe, as well as in Windhoek, Namibia. On January 28, 120,000 South Koreans also protested in major cities against coercive conversion program by the Christian Council of Korea. (More info) Not only in South Africa, the memorial service has been held in the LA, United Kingdom, and other parts of the world for a year.

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE IWPG held memorial to ban coercive conversion RememberGu IWPG HWPL Coercive Conversion Christian Council of Korea CCK

Especially during November and December this year, New York Times and other leading press reported with the headlines “Ban Coercive Conversion,” and shared the events of the late Ji-in Gu.

Reference: https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/memorial-held-for-woman-forced-to-convert-13635947

Why is the memorial continuing?

As we celebrate the first anniversary of memorial, why is it reported by the leading foreign press? Why is the memorial continuing? That’s because nothing has changed in a year and the government hasn’t responded. Why?

First, the Coercive Conversion Program is still underway.

Sometimes religious suppression occurs in war and emerging countries, but no one would think that Murder by coercive conversion occurred in the South Korea, K-pop’s home country. So far, the number of victims is over 1,000. 52 percent of them claimed they were imprisoned. (The AVCCP statistics) In addition, 42 percent of the victims were taken to coercive religious conversion program by kidnapping. After this anti-humanitarian act, one conversion pastor of the CCK even received up to $894,425 USD. How can this illegal thing still happen?

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE IWPG held memorial to ban coercive conversion RememberGu IWPG HWPL Coercive Conversion Christian Council of Korea CCK

Second, Conversion pastors cowardly evade the law by using the excuse of ‘counseling’.

They claim that these consultations on “cult issues” are carried out voluntarily at the request of the family members of the victims and with the consent of the victims. However, victims report that the “conversion education agreements” are written by force while they are under confinement. So Human rights activists and IWPG members around the world have continued to petition for the Korean government to enact a special law against coercive conversion program.

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE IWPG held memorial to ban coercive conversion RememberGu IWPG HWPL Coercive Conversion Christian Council of Korea CCK

In a similar case, 1,000 Pakistani girls are kidnapped and forced to change religion every year. Muslims only just said “It was to encourage cults to accept the Islam.”Many human rights activists spoke out, and in the end the government made a anti-conversion law.

In November 2016, the Sindh province passed a law criminalizing forced conversions to, according to the law, ‘provide protection for those who are victims of this abhorrent practice.’ Under the law, those convicted of forcibly converting others receive a punishment from five years’ imprisonment to a life sentence.

Reference: https://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/pakistan-province-criminalises-forced-conversions-forbids-minors-from-changing-religion-4393556/

Why hasn’t anything changed in a year?

Because the Christian Council of Korea (CCK) is trying to hide the truth, not only by neglecting the law and looking the other way, but by supporting its affiliated pastors’ illegal activities. Politics and religion have the cozy relations, which violates Article 20-2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, “Religion and politics are separated.” Who will console the pain that 1,000 victims of coercive conversion in Korea have experienced? Who can compensate for Ji-in’s death?

Furthermore, HWPL has already vehemently protested against the CCK, which has abandoned its function as a religious organization, and its affiliated pastors for conducting anti-nation, anti-society, and anti-peace acts that violate human rights. The CCK must to be disbanded for throwing the Korean people, as well as the international community, into chaos, and the pastors who took part in coercive conversion must receive the proper punishment for their actions.

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE IWPG held memorial to ban coercive conversion RememberGu IWPG HWPL Coercive Conversion Christian Council of Korea CCK

Reverend Thamsanqa Mvambo, President of the NICSA, said, “This is a terrible outrage that such people who claim to be believers in Jesus Christ would act in this way using the weapons of the devil against fellow Christians. The CCK and Conversion Pastors should repent immediately.”

He added,“I ask the CCK and pastors who practice and profit from the conversion programmes to immediately and permanently cease such activities. We also call on the lawmakers in the Republic of Korea to make a law prohibiting the coercive conversion programmes and holding pastors who profit from this unaccountable action.”

Reference: https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Ugandan-firm-intervene-South-Korea-religious-conflict/688334-4717430-cpbksnz/index.html
http://hwpl.kr/en/news/view/181229361/0/NewYorkTimestoUnveilCCKsCoerciveConversionProgram

I # RememberGu to Ban Coercive Conversion

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE IWPG held memorial to ban coercive conversion RememberGu IWPG HWPL Coercive Conversion Christian Council of Korea CCK

Memorial site
www.facebook.com/remembergu
www.youtube.com/endcoerciveconversion

Human Rights is up to you :0 Good luck!

New York times Human rights: #RememberGu #1

New York times Human rights News

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE New York times Human rights: #RememberGu #1 Universal Declaration of Human Rights United Nations General Assembly United Nations UN UDHR U.N. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women RememberGu president New York times Human rights New York Times kidnapping imprisonment human rights detention Coercive Conversion CCK BanCoerciveConversion assaults
# New York times Human rights

“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration,
without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

– Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

A New York Times advertisement space on November 28th dealt with women human rights issue. I will introduce you to New York times Human Rights News!

On November 25, it is the ‘U.N. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women‘. It was the day in 1981 when three sisters of the Dominican Republic protested against the dictatorship of the government. The Day was started to remember that sisters were killed by violence, and many people from all over the world including Spain are participating in demonstrations and holding campaigns. Despite these efforts, a 25-year-old woman died in a pension in Korea on January 18, 2018.

Why did she have to die of suffocation when she had so many dreams? Why did parents keep their adorable daughter in custody?
# New York times Human rights

Human Rights is still alive?

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings. It’s the right to live like a human being. The Article 1 of UDHR, ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood‘, shows the spirit of human rights. Human rights should not be discriminated against for any reason, including race, skin color, sex, language, religion, etc. UN http://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/human-rights/index.html

The United Nations Charter confirmed people’s beliefs about basic human rights and promised to keep this human rights. To make sure that we keep this promise, we have to define ‘what human rights are and what freedom is’ that everyone can understand. It is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which is now the most recognized.

Thus, on December 10, 1948, 50 of the 58 member states of the United Nations declared the Declaration of Human Rights in favor of it. This was unprecedented in human history. Therefore, “THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.” http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

A flower falls

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE New York times Human rights: #RememberGu #1 Universal Declaration of Human Rights United Nations General Assembly United Nations UN UDHR U.N. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women RememberGu president New York times Human rights New York Times kidnapping imprisonment human rights detention Coercive Conversion CCK BanCoerciveConversion assaults

But despite these efforts, there are still many incidents of serious human rights violations.

On December 30, 2017, a 25-year-old girl left her friends with a message saying, “I will travel with my family.” Then on January 18, 2018, she returned to us as a ‘cold and blue corpse‘. According to one friend’s testimony, the late Ms. Ji-in Gu was a ‘nice friend who spent time with his family when she was busy and she had many dreams and was so passionate.’ And her friend continued “I’m so sorry and angry. I miss her terribly.” She was imprisoned in a pension in South Korea. After a scuffle with her parents, she was presumed to have choked to death.

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE New York times Human rights: #RememberGu #1 Universal Declaration of Human Rights United Nations General Assembly United Nations UN UDHR U.N. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women RememberGu president New York times Human rights New York Times kidnapping imprisonment human rights detention Coercive Conversion CCK BanCoerciveConversion assaults

There is a message left by Ms. Gu in her lifetime. “Hello. I’m Ji-in Gu. Mr. President, Please listen to my story. Stop the painful kidnapping, detention and endless assaults in 44 days.” Yes, that’s right. It was not the first time that Ms. Gu was kidnapped and detained. She was imprisoned for 44 days in a monastery on June 2016 and she had a really painful time both soul and body. I mentioned it in my posting, but a year later, nothing has changed. Maybe she’s crying in the sky.

#RememberGu

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE New York times Human rights: #RememberGu #1 Universal Declaration of Human Rights United Nations General Assembly United Nations UN UDHR U.N. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women RememberGu president New York times Human rights New York Times kidnapping imprisonment human rights detention Coercive Conversion CCK BanCoerciveConversion assaults

“She petitioned the president for help, but nothing changed and she died. Will you take action after I die?” said Ji-in’s friends.

You can feel the depth of sadness in their memorial songs.

Want to be a warm star to people swaying in the night winds
Born as a flower, you always said you would be a star

Want to give them warm warmth, who bear heartaches
How lonely you are in the darkness, not open even when you pat.

Even in our dreams, we meet again.
Because always we dream the same dream.
You’ll pray for us in the sky

To you now being a star,
The beloved in tears give you a white flower that has your scent
We’ll meet again in the sky

You and I are glittering in longing
Even when you close your eyes,
you didn’t let your desire go
Now we’ll make sure your wishes come true

There are still two questions left in this poignant story. Why did she have to die of suffocation? Why did parents keep their adorable daughter in custody? Let’s look at the next posting. # New York times Human rights

Reference: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/human-rights-association-victims-coercive-215300996.html
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1812/S00001/concerns-raised-regarding-anti-human-rights-actions.htm

Memorial site
www.facebook.com/remembergu
www.youtube.com/endcoerciveconversion

Human Right is up to you :0 Good luck!