Actor Kang Ji-sub admits to having been part of controversial religious cult
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Actor Kang Ji-sub admitted to having been a part of a controversial religious cult but explained that he left years ago.
Rumors spread online over the weekend that Kang, an actor born in 1981 who debuted in 2005, was part of the Jesus Morning Star (JMS) cult currently under fire since its crimes have been uncovered through a popular Netflix documentary series titled “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal” that was released earlier this month.
The rumor began after an anonymous online user uncovered a post written by the actor on March 12, 2012, that read, “The birthday of the mentor of my life.” March 16 is the birthday of Jeong Myeong-seok, the leader of JMS, who served 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting several female followers and is standing trial on the same charges after being released in 2018.
He also had religious tokens related to JMS in his house, which were caught on camera when he was shooting for entertainment shows.
“It’s true that I was a part of JMS, but I am not any more,” he said in a phone call with local press Yonhap.
“It was around 1999 or 2000 when I was a university student, and [a JMS member] approached me asking me to study the Bible together. I followed them with a pure heart and I joined thinking that it was just an ordinary church.”
According to Kang, he only went to sermons on weekends and did not participate in any other activities. He quit five years ago because “it seemed strange that [Jeong] called himself the messiah and that people worshipped him so much.”
Kang has been active in the television scene, especially on TV dramas. His most recent work, “Vengeance of the Bride,” aired its last episode on Friday on channel KBS2.
Content retrieved from: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/03/12/entertainment/television/Korea-Netflix-Kang-Jisub/20230312172955418.html.
