Agadongsan and JMS failed to block ‘I Am God’

The religious group 'Aga Garden', which had applied for a provisional injunction to ban the broadcasting of the Netflix documentary 'I Am God: Those Who Betrayed by God', withdrew the injunction against Netflix Services Korea. However, the injunction against MBC and director Cho Seong-hyeon was maintained.

According to the legal community on the 20th, Kim Ki-soon, the leader of Agadongsan and the cult, submitted a partial withdrawal of the application for a provisional injunction to ban broadcasting to this effect to Civil Agreement Division 50 (Chief Judge Park Beom-seok) of the Seoul Central District Court through a litigation representative.

Netflix Services Korea is only responsible for the subscription contract in Korea, and the broadcasting rights for 'I Am God' are held by Netflix's U.S. headquarters, so it appears that the injunction application was deemed meaningless. The Christian Gospel Mission (JMS), another religious group that previously appeared in the documentary, applied for a preliminary injunction before Agadongsan, but for the same reason it only filed an application against MBC. The Seoul Western District Court dismissed all applications on the 2nd.

However, there is a possibility that Netflix's headquarters may participate in the preliminary injunction case by applying for auxiliary participation to dispute whether to broadcast the company's future content. Even in the JMS injunction case, Netflix headquarters applied for auxiliary participation and participated in the trial.

As Agadongsan withdrew its injunction against Netflix, realistically, 'I Am God' will likely continue to be serviced. Even if the court accepts the request for a broadcasting ban on MBC and PD Jo Seong-hyeon, there is no way to force Netflix to comply.

'I Am God', which was released on the 3rd, is an 8-part documentary about four people who call themselves gods, and examines the reality of how pseudo-religion has infiltrated every corner of society. It consists of episodes such as ‘JMS, Brides of God’, ‘The Five Oceans, 32 Dead Bodies and Gods’, ‘Children’s Garden, In Search of Paradise’, and ‘The Man Who Became the God of All People’.

At the press conference for 'I Am God' held on the 10th, PD Cho Sung-hyeon said, "I thought we had to show the facts. It doesn't end with 'the cult leader did a terrible thing to the believers,' but what damage the victims suffered, and why do people still blame them?" “I wanted to include things like whether he believes he is the Messiah,” he said, revealing the reason for making this documentary.

When asked if there was any unrest within religious groups, he said, "From the PD's point of view, I wanted more people to watch the documentary. I thought it would be good for at least one or two people to watch it. There are cafes where post-JMS believers come in. There are people who left after watching this documentary. "There are many. There are people among insiders who are agitated and reacting. I think we have stimulated them to actually choose to leave. Personally, it is rewarding," he said. In the entertainment industry, DKZ's Kyung-yoon confessed to being a second-generation member of JMS and declared his departure from the church, and actor Kang Ji-seop also certified his departure by tearing up the unique picture of Jesus that JMS believers have.

‘I Am God’ is creating social repercussions by exposing the reality of those who have committed inhumane acts in the name of religion. In a situation where the application for a preliminary injunction has practically become meaningless, 'I Am God' has come to inform more people about the atrocities of those who call themselves 'gods'. We can now expect that the impact of 'I Am God' will not end with 'simple issues' but will lead to changes to a better society.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr