Salvation sect stages protest rally

By Kang Seung-woo
Followers of the Evangelical Baptist Church staged a protest rally Monday against media coverage of, and the prosecution investigation into, the religious cult and speculation about its links to the operator of the ill-fated ferry Sewol.
Six hundred believers in the religious sect, founded by Chonghaejin Marine owner Yoo Byung-eun, gathered in front of the headquarters of the Korea Broadcasting System in Yeouido, Seoul.
"We are saddened by the Sewol disaster, but the media and prosecution are raising questions that are not related to us," said a follower.
They rejected suspicions that the Evangelical Baptist Church had cross-border transactions with affiliates of the ferry operator.
In addition, they claimed it was groundless that monetary offerings from followers went to Yoo, calling such claims "malicious and lopsided."
They said that unlike reports, most people working for the ferry operator are not connected to their religion.
"Very few Chonghaejin Marine employees are followers of the church; but Captain Lee Jun-seok and most of people in the company are not," they said.
Yoo was previously a member of the religious cult, called Odaeyang, making him a suspect in the cult's 1987 mass suicide-murder. More than 30 people from the group were found dead, bound and gagged in a factory outside of Seoul. Investigators, however, found no evidence tying the event to Yoo. "The Odaeyang incident was declared to be no connection to the Evangelical Baptist Church," they said.
The group also argued that media outlets are misrepresenting its doctrine.
They held a press conference last week and denied suspicions surrounding the religious group.
To prevent a confrontation, police deployed 480 officers around the location of the protest.
The joint prosecution-police investigation team said the religious cult was the source of Yoo's funds, and it is now questioning relevant people about this.
On April 16, the ferry carrying 476 passengers capsized off the country's southwestern coast on its way to the resort island of Jeju, leaving more than 300 people dead or missing.
As the country was tracking down people and the failed system responsible for the disaster, investigators were led to Yoo and his family, who controlled Chonghaejin Marine through stakes connecting a series of affiliates.
ksw@koreatimes.co.kr,
SF: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2014/04/116_156252.html