Dispatch's interview with DKZ Kyoungyoon's mother

 Kyungyoon is a born believer. He had no freedom to choose his own religion. The moment he was born, he was already in JMS. This is why we need to hear the perspective from his mother's side, too. We also need to ask her about the cafe she owns, Zelkova cafe.

D: How did you fall into JMS?

KY's Mom: I used to go to a Presbyterian Church, however, The Bible didn't really touch me back then. I lived my life in frustration. That's when my younger sister (Kyungyoon's aunt) introduced me to JMS' doctrine and I felt like I was awakened. I felt like they had the answer to all questions that other churches couldn't answer. 

D: Have you watched 'In The Name of God: A Holy Betrayal?'

KY's Mom: I heard it from people around me. However, I was a follower of JMS for over 20 years. I believed in everything he said. I was afraid to realize that all of the things I have been believing so far are just lie. That's why I still don't have the courage to watch it. 

D: Does that mean you're still a follower of JMS?

KY's Mom: Kyungyoon called me, he was crying. He said, "We've been fooled." I was very confused, but, to me, no religion is above my son. My son is my priority. I will do anything I can for Yoon-ie.

Kyungyoon's dad said, "What's so important about religion at this point? Not only leaving this cult, but I can also do way more than that for him." He continued, "I won't talk about this religion again in the future. I won't even go anywhere near the church. Believe me."

D: You run a cafe called Zelkova?

KY's mom: In 2020, my sister opened a new church. She received a lot of support from JMS' foundation. The cafe and the church are next to each other, but they have separate entrances. It is not true that there are connecting doors in the cafe that lead to the church. The two buildings are not connected at all.

D: There are allegations that missionary work is conducted in that cafe

D: I opened that cafe to earn money for living costs. The monthly rent is 200,000 KRW (The deposit is 2M KRW). I even made the lightboard myself, it's true, though, that I imitated his handwriting on it. I designed the whole place myself. The whole cafe only has 3 tables. 

D: We also heard that you play the Hymn in the cafe?

KY's Mom: Around 1 to 2 groups of DKZ's fans come to the cafe every week. It made me realize how famous my son is. I am really grateful to them. It doesn't make sense that I'm doing missionary work on them, that's not true at all. I never played the Hymn in my cafe. I don't know why people would lie about things like that.

D: Does the dog that Kyoungyoon raise have something to do with JMS?

KY's Mom: There are a lot of groundless rumors now. The puppies he's raising are rescued. One is named 'Gu-won' because it was rescued from the street and the other one is named 'Haeng-bok' with hope that it will live happily. I hope people would stop twisting stories now. 

D: Your younger sister is a Pastor. We are curious about how she became one.

KY's Mom: My sister attended a seminary at a Providence church. She became a Pastor after going through several processes. Paying JMS with sexual intercourse (to become a Pastor)? That doesn't make sense. He doesn't even have more than 10 followers in Yeong-deok. The only JMS followers there are my family and some elderly from the neighborhood. That doesn't make sense.

"I don't have any courage to look at my son. This is not Kyoungyoon's fault. It's just that he happened to have bad parents. That's why I'm really sorry towards him. This wouldn't have happened to him if I weren't his mom. I want him to return to his normal life as soon as possible. I am sincerely sorry."

theqoo

-I can feel Kyoungyoon's sincerity in his interview, but I don't think his mom is willing to leave the cult despite knowing the truth. Please, watch the show. Even your son has already watched it. You said you're willing to do anything for your son, let alone leaving the cult. But I don't think you sound like someone who's going to leave any time soon...

-I mean, she has been following him for more than 20 years. It wouldn't be easy to change her mind now. I read the interview Dispatch did with Kyoungyoon, he sounds like he was really considering to leave the cult unlike his motherㅋㅋㅋ

-I think she just needs more time to process all of this. Let's just wait. We can't expect her to just leave after believing in JMS for more than 20 years. I really hope she would leave the cult, though.

-She hasn't even watched the show because she's afraid to learn that everything she has been believing so far are just lie... How do you expect her to leave the cult.

-The fact that she hasn't even watched the documentary...

-If I were Kyoungyoon, I would be very exhausted and frustrated. Just imagine... Being born into a cult and only learned the truth when I got older. I decided to leave the cult but my mother still can't let go... Not to mention that the whole world now knows and are pointing their fingers on my mother...ㅠㅠㅠ I hope all of JMS' followers will leave the cult soon, get back to their normal life and family, and gain some strengthㅠㅠ

-I don't think she's willing to leave the cult, though. Despite saying that she's willing to do anything for his sonㅠㅠ

-I feel like she's just doing this interview because his son is in a big trouble and doing an interview might save his career...? Well, I hope, at least, his son leave the cult...

-I don't think she can leave the cult... Like ever...

Continue reading Dispatch's interview with DKZ Kyoungyoon's mother

An error in the timeline of the interview Dispatch did with DKZ's Kyoungyoon regarding JMS

 

D: Let's talk about Wolmyeong-dong

KY: I went there around 3 to 4 times when I was in primary school.

D: Have you ever met Jung Myeong-seok?

KY: I have seen him in Wolmyeong-dong.

Kyungyoon admitted that he has seen Jung Myeong-seok in person around 3 to 4 times in Wolmyeong-dong back when he was in primary school.

Jung Myeong-seok escaped from South Korea in the year Kyungyoon was born (2000). He was arrested in the year Kyungyoon enrolled in primary school (2008). He was released in 2018, just when Kyungyoon was about to graduate from high school. There must've been a lot of news about Jung Myeong-seok, and he still trusted him?

Dispatch also attached an explanation about Jung Myeong-seok's time line. JMS was arrested and prisoned in the same year Kyungyoon enrolled to primary school (2008) and was released in the same year Kyungyoon graduated from high school (2018). There was no possible way Kyungyoon met him in person in Wolmyeong-dong when he was in primary school. 

Jung Myeong-seok was arrested in China and brought back to South Korea in 2008 for statutory rape, rape, assault, etc. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was released on February 2018. 

If you do some research, you'll find that JMS was in prison from 2008 to 2018. There is no way Kyungyoon had met him when he was still an underage student. It doesn't make sense unless he said he met JMS when he already became an adult.

theqoo

-That was from when he was really young. It's normal for him to get it all mixed up.

-Even if he corrected his statement, saying that he saw JMS when he was in pre-school, it still doesn't make sense because JMS was on the run at that time...

-It happened when he was in pre-school or early years of primary school, of course he gets it all mixed up. Why are you guys trying so hard to find something to blame him?

-Well, do you guys remember exactly everything that happened when you were in primary school?

-He only remembers seeing JMS when he was really young, that's probably why he said he was in primary school at that time...

-It's normal for him to remember things incorrectly... I mean, I can't even remember exactly what happened when I was really young

-Do you guys remember what happened when you were 8??

-JMS escaped in 1999. It's either he lied about seeing JMS when he was younger or he actually met JMS after being released from jail...

-It doesn't add up... He was born in 2000 and JMS escaped from South Korea in 1999. Maybe he only saw him in videos.

-That means he actually have never seen JMS in person. Maybe he only saw him from videos and mistaken it...

-You guys are acting like detectives...ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Continue reading An error in the timeline of the interview Dispatch did with DKZ's Kyoungyoon regarding JMS

"JMS no longer exists" ... 'DKZ' Kyoungyoon, how he escaped from JMS as a born-believer

 

We asked DKZ's Kyoungyoon straight-forwardly and he answered in a low voice.
"Yes. It was JMS"

He revealed that he was already a follower of JMS ever since he was still in his mother's womb.
"I was a born-believer. I'd hold hands with my mother to go there"

Kyoungyoon lowered his head and didn't speak for awhile. Some time had passed and as if he had made a decision, he started talking.

"It's a relief that I discovered the truth, even if it's late. I'm still worried about my parents, though. Especially, my mom, she has a huge faith because she had been a follower for over 20 years. I hope she can overcome this."

Dispatch arranged a meeting with Kyoungyoon and had 2 rounds of interviews on March 8th and 10th. On the 9th, Kyoungyoon had to leave for Yeongdok-gun, North Gyeongsan. He shared the conversation he had with his parents.

The purpose of this interview is not for 'clarification'. In this report, we deliver their emotions, expressions, confessions, reflections, and apology just as it is. For this reason, we report this news in QnA format. 

Lastly, we also add the perspectives of people who have been doing research about this cult. Is Jung Myeongseok the perpetrator? Are all his followers also the perpetrators? What do we need to do as a society?

What makes them drawn to JMS?

#Encounter with Kyoungyoon.

Kyoungyoon's mother attended a Presbyterian church. His aunt (His mother's younger sister), coincidentally came across a Providence church as she worked. She was convinced because she was told "It's a place that teaches the Bible really well." Just like that, his aunt joined JMS. This took time back in 1994. 

Dispatch: We are really curious about how you came across JMS.

KY: I followed my mother around a lot as a child. We went to my aunt's place. I remember my family and some elders from the neighborhood would gather there, listen to sermons, have some meals, and then go home. That's how I used to spend my weekend. 

D: Is your aunt the pastor?

KY: Yes. I heard she studied Theology and became a pastor. At first, she did evangelization at home. When I was in pre-school, she started to do it in a church placed on the 3rd floor of a small building.

Kyoungyoon's aunt opened a church in early February 2020. It was right next to the cafe that Kyoungyoon's mother owns. Recently, several allegations regarding his mom's cafe and aunt's church have been spread online. (We will talk about this more in an interview with his mom below)

D: How did you get involved in JMS?

KY: I heard JMS' sermon from a video. According to my aunt, JMS is someone who delivers messages from God. She told me he was an amazing person who has read The Bible more than 2,000 times.

D: An amazing person? Does she believe that he was a Messiah?

KY: I watched 'In The Name of God: A Holy Betrayal'. I noticed that he claimed himself as Messiah. When I saw that clip, I thought to myself, "He must be a crazy man." This is hard to believe, but I had no idea at all back then. I know I sound pathetic saying this, but that's how it was. 

D: You had no idea back then?

KY: I remember watching that sermon video. Before claiming himself as Messiah, he baited us for 2 to 3 hours. A lot of people believed in him. That's how it was. It was some type of gaslighting.

D: Why did you fall for it?

KY: I didn't fall for it because I believed he was Messiah. I fell for it because my aunt told me that he was the person who delivers messages from God the best. I have to agree that it was like a brain-washing. I started thinking, 'That means he's just like... a Messiah'.

D: To say it's 'brain-washing' is...

KY: I don't understand it either. Nobody would believe him if he blatantly said he was Messiah and that following him will get you to heaven. He doesn't approach people that way. His approach was slow, little by little. 

D: For example?

KY: People keep on talking about how amazing he is through their experience with him, etc. They would say, "I had to go through surgery for this, but his prayer healed me," and then even proceeded to show their medical record as an evidence. There are also tons of people who say, "He solves all my problems," etc. 

D: How could you believe that?

KY: Honestly, I didn't have the freedom to choose my own religion. It was my religion because it was what my family believed... I had no one to compare or discuss it. However, I think my mom's faith got even bigger after she had me. 

D: What do you mean?

KY: When I was in 2nd grade, I got sick. I couldn't eat anything, I kept on throwing up. Pastors came from far places to pray for me. I was supposed to go through a surgery 3 days after that, but they did another check-up and found there was nothing wrong with me. I think that's when she started to believe even more. 

D: Do you also think the same?

KY: I thought it was just a disease that gets better as time passes by. The timing happened to be just right. Just like how we get COVID and get better in 3-4 days with medications. God didn't heal me just because the Pastor prayed for me. Now that I think about it, I was very childish.

(NB: Let me know if I should translate the rest, because the original post from Theqoo only attaches the first picture)

theqoo

-What's the point in all of this when his parents still haven't gotten back to their right mind...

-I read the whole article and I can totally understand him. I don't want to say anything either because he already left JMS. It's not like he followed JMS by choice. He was a born-believer. He's just another victim.

-His aunt was a Pastor...

-Do you seriously think leaving a religion is that easy?

-I feel really bad for himㅠㅠ Who would leave that religion if they still get hate comments anyway? If he's lying, I'm sure the truth will always be revealed in the end. Stop saying he's a perpetrator when he already left that behind, that's only turning yourself into perpetrators.

-I feel really bad for him... I don't know why people are leaving hate comments...

-I feel really bad for him because he was born into that cult... 

-Did you guys even read the whole article?

-After reading the whole article, I can understand him. He didn't have the freedom to choose his religion. 

-I read the whole article and I think I'm gonna stop leaving hate comments for him

-Honestly, I don't believe him...

Continue reading "JMS no longer exists" ... 'DKZ' Kyoungyoon, how he escaped from JMS as a born-believer