SOME followers of the Grace Road Church protested angrily after their leader the Rev Shin Ok-joo was handed her jail sentence in South Korea on Monday.
Ms Shin Ok-joo was jailed for six years for detaining followers in Fiji and subjecting them to violence.
According to leading Hong Kong newspaper the South China Morning Post, there were no immediate comments from the church after their leader’s sentencing, but some followers expressed disappointment and anger after the ruling.
“This is outrageous! Tell them (the victims) to stop lying. Knock it off! We are all angry,” a female follower shouted at journalists when they tried to get a comment from her, reported the South China Morning Post.
In a statement on Monday, the Anyang sub-court of the Suwon District Court said Ms Shin Ok-joo had absolute authority over the followers and all criminal acts “including ground thrashing were unable to be carried out without her directions”.
The statement also revealed that the leader’s responsibility “is very heavy”.
Ms Shin Ok-joo was arrested with three other “cult leaders” when they arrived at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport in South Korea in August last year.
The arrests were linked to the alleged assault and confinement of church followers in Fiji.
Questions sent via electronic mail and phone calls made to Grace Road Group public relations managers Grace Park and Ana Choi yesterday remained unanswered.
Meanwhile, a former follower of the church, Chanmoon Park, who spoke to The Fiji Times last year, claimed he was allegedly overworked and punished several times on the threshing floor.
Another follower Yunzae Lee claimed that Ms Shin Ok-joo allegedly brainwashed the followers and cut all connections with their families when they joined the church.
The Grace Road Group in Fiji denied these allegations last year.
