Korea Christian Cult Counseling Center Association

Overview

The Korea Christian Cult Counseling Center Association is a council of regional cult counseling centers in South Korea that counsel people who have joined groups designated as heretical by Protestant denominations, as well as their families. It is commonly abbreviated as "Hansanghyup." It is not an agency of any denomination; counseling ministers from various denominations work together within it. Pastor Jin Yong-sik has long served as its president or representative president.

Founding and History

The exact year of founding and the association's early history have not been confirmed in publicly available sources and require further documentation. The association is closely connected with the counseling work of Pastor Jin Yong-sik. Jin is reported to have been active in the Seventh-day Adventist Church before moving to the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong). He is said to have begun cult counseling in earnest after planting Sangnok Church in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, in 1999. Sangnok Church is now located in Bongdam, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and the association's seminars are frequently held there. Jin has also served on the anti-heresy body of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong).

Major Activities

• Counseling and support for converts: The association counsels the family first and then the individual involved. A guidance page on responding to Shincheonji produced by CBS (Christian Broadcasting System) also advises families to contact the association.
• Seminars: The association has held seminars refuting Shincheonji's interpretation of the Book of Revelation, seminars on the Unification Church (Family Federation for World Peace and Unification), and counseling seminars on InterCP, among others. At the InterCP seminar, Jin criticized concepts such as "territorial spirits" and "prayer walking" (literally "treading the land") as having been influenced by the New Apostolic Reformation. This assessment reflects the association's own perspective.
• Rallies and advisories: The association has held rallies at which it reports on trends involving heretical groups in Korean churches. At one such rally, it expressed concern over the Christian Council of Korea's removal of certain groups from its list of heresies and warned against the spread of the Church of Almighty God. It also issues advisories concerning newly emerging groups.
• Cooperation: The association signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea World Missions Association to respond jointly to cult-related problems on mission fields. It also signed a research exchange agreement with MRN of the Wesley Theological Research Institute.

Membership and Organization

Its members are regional cult counseling centers rather than denominations. Under the representative president are vice presidents, a secretary, a treasurer, and committees for areas such as investigation, victim response, and missions. Its officers come from various denominations and include Pastor Seo Young-guk, former director of the Heresy Countermeasures Research Institute of the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin), and Pastor Shin Hyun-wook of the Guri Cult Counseling Center.

Controversy and Assessment

Shincheonji and other groups targeted by the counseling, along with organizations that present themselves as representing victims of such counseling, call cult counseling "coercive conversion." They allege that human rights violations have occurred during the counseling process, such as family members confining adherents. The association and others involved in anti-heresy work counter that counseling takes place at the request of the families and the individuals themselves. They also regard the "coercive conversion" claim as a strategy to discourage cult counseling and to tighten internal control within the groups. Academic studies have also examined the role Protestant cult counseling plays in creating and reinforcing discourse about "pseudo-religions."