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Despite being controversial and inviting outrage, Director Cho Sung-hyun has plans to create a sequel to his docu-series In The Name of God: A Holy Betrayal.
In a conversation with Hankyung, the director shared that, initially, he had no plans for a sequel to the true crime documentary. He mentioned that he came across people leaving such dangerous, religious cults after watching the series, and is now motivated to make a second part about it.
“I didn’t have any plans of making a season 2 even when this show was first released, but I changed my mind when I saw people quitting the pseudo-religion after watching In The Name Of God: A Holy Betrayal.”
Amid outrage, the director of In the Name Of God: A Holy Betrayal reveals he has only shown 1/10th of the truth behind the JMS cult
In the Name Of God: A Holy Betrayal was released on March 3, after Netflix won an injunction against the still-active JMS that filed a suit to stop its broadcast, claiming, as per Variety, that it was "fictional" and "violates the principle of presumption of innocence." JMS stands for Jesus Morning Star, aka Christian Gospel Mission or Providence.
The initials are also the same as its controversial leader, Jeong Myeong-seok (or Jung Myung-seok). The leader is currently awaiting trial for se*ually assaulting and harassing his female followers.
Director Cho’s docu-series, In the Name Of God: A Holy Betrayal, sheds light on the atrocities committed by Jeong Myeong-seok, who claimed to be The Messiah and Adam, and took advantage of young female followers. The first three episodes of the show sparked discussions online, with people commenting on how "disturbing" the incidents were.
Netflix shows warning labels of nudity, abuse, se*ual violence descriptions - some of which also include minors. However, many viewers believe that the visual depictions were extreme and unnecessary. There have also apparently been conversations about boycotting the series.
In the interview with Hankyung, director Cho shared that he was aware of the controversy regarding the documentary, but revealed that he has only shown “one-tenth of reality.” He mentioned that it was difficult for the team to listen to the traumatizing testimonies, but they “had to tell the truth.”
“I am aware there is controversy regarding the se*ual content, but the important thing is that everything said is true. It was tough for us to listen to the content while gathering testimonies because the stories were so traumatizing. Nevertheless, we had to tell the truth, and we only told what needed to be told which lowered the ‘level’ to one-tenth of reality.”
Both witness testimonies in the video interview and written reports were also called out for being extremely detailed. One Twitter user mentioned that the show could have done without the graphic details of the se*ual assault.
Where is JMS leader Jeong Myeong-seok now?
Jeong Myeong-seok is currently on trial in South Korea over se*ual assault allegations that he has denied.
In 2008, he was deported from China to Korea to get sentenced for 10 years in jail for ra*ing three Korean females during 2003 and 2006. He was released but was legally bound to wear electronic ankle bracelets.
In the Name Of God: A Holy Betrayal is an eight-episode docu-series currently streaming on Netflix.
