Korean cult sues Netflix over “expose” documentary

On March 25, Allkpop reported that the Seoul Central District Court held a hearing to question both sides regarding the lawsuit for a temporary ban on episodes 5 and 6 of the documentary "In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal" from the organization "The Baby Garden". Accordingly, the lawsuit is against Netflix Korea, MBC, and documentary producer Jo Sung-hyun.

The cult organization stated: "The leader Kim Ki-soon was acquitted of murder and fraud charges in 1997." MBC representative explained: "The documentary tells the story of a mother who allowed her son to die at "The Baby Garden"; the story of a parent who allowed her daughter to be gang-raped; and the believers who were forced to work for free. The purpose of this series is to raise awareness and vigilance against organizations that distort common human morality in the name of religion."

Kim Ki-soon is the female cult leader of "The Baby Garden"

The judge asked the representatives of "The Baby Garden" if it is not too late to seek an injunction against MBC now? They should have filed a lawsuit against Netflix. The cult responded that they are asking MBC to provide documents to seek provisions against Netflix.

"The Baby Garden" withdrew its request for a temporary restraining order against Netflix Korea, saying that it was pointless to sue Netflix Korea. The actual broadcasting rights and other content related to "In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal" belong to Netflix based in the US. Therefore, they filed a lawsuit against Netflix based in the US, demanding 300 million won in damages.

More than 10 days earlier, the cult filed a lawsuit asking the court to ban the broadcast of episodes 5 and 6, titled "The Baby Garden, On the Way to Heaven" and "The Baby Garden of Death" in the documentary. The lawsuit said that episodes 5 and 6 of the documentary contained false information about "The Baby Garden" and Kim Ki-soon. Therefore, Netflix Korea must pay the cult more than 10 million won per day if these episodes continue to be streamed on international platforms.

"The Baby Garden" has had many big scandals.

"The Baby Garden" was founded by Kim Ki-soon in 1982. This organization was accused of converting the private assets of its followers into public assets. In 1982, this organization established Synnara Records - a company specializing in distributing CDs, albums, etc. of Korean artists. Kim Ki-soon is the president of Synnara Record.

In December 1996, Kim Ki-soon appeared in court after being suspected of killing and burying believers alive. She was charged with six crimes including tax evasion, embezzlement, assault, etc. Initially, Kim Ki-soon was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 5.6 billion won, but was later acquitted.

"In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal" is a documentary that exposes the dark side of Korean cults. These cult leaders are said to exploit, abuse, rape, and kill followers in the name of righteousness and religion through flowery words and illusions about the fairy world and eternity.

The film exposes the truth about the crimes of Korean heretical leaders and cult leaders against their followers in the name of the gods.

The real stories from the victims of the cult leaders told directly have caused controversy among viewers. Some believe that telling them directly like that increases the deterrent effect, but others criticize the tactless and explicit way of telling them, which only hurts the victims by opening their wounds again.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/giai-tri/di-giao-han-quoc-kien-netflix-vi-phim-tai-lieu-vach-mat-20230325135057296.htm