Producer of Netflix’s cult exposé asks how far religious freedom should go
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The level of expression and sensationalism used in the viral Netflix documentary series “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal” was necessary to expose the wrongs and illegality of cult leaders in Korea, the show’s main producer Cho Sung-hyun claimed.
Cho clarified the intentions of the production team and justified the making of the documentary series during a press conference held at Lotte Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on Friday and also addressed the death threats and safety concerns surrounding his own family following the show’s release.
“In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal,” which was released on March 3, identifies four cult leaders in Korea and sheds light on their abuse of power targeting cult members, including sexual abuse, rape, manipulation and more. The documentary series has caused a storm in the country, with Prosecutor General Lee One-seok declaring a stamp-down on cults within Korea in the aftermath of the public outrage over the revelations in the docuseries. “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal” topped domestic rankings on Netflix and currently remains in the top five shows on the streaming service chart.
Critics have pointed out that the level of provocation and the sensational nature of the documentary, which includes raw transcripts containing depictions of sexual violence and a nude video, could cause even more social damage. Producer Cho refuted these criticisms Friday.
“I know that these criticisms are being made about the series, and the production team is very aware,” said Cho. “But the fact is that all of what we depict in our documentary actually happened. These atrocious acts took place and are still being perpetrated. This is not fiction, it is not entertainment — the fact is that victims suffered this damage and I hope that we pay attention to this point. The key issue is how to address this problem, not that ‘In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal’ used provocation and sensationalism to expose these facts.”
The events depicted in “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal” were reported by countless news outlets and other documentaries before, but have not been able to garner the same amount of social attention as the Netflix series this time, Cho argued.
“Traditional broadcasters including KBS, SBS and more have reported numerous times on the issue of cults in Korea,” said Cho. “But they have not seemed to be heard well until now. I think that we as a society need to address the matter closely and ask, ‘Is it right to let these people perpetrate such heinous crimes in the name of religion?’ ‘Should religious freedom be above the basic human rights of the victims?’”
Content retrieved from: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/03/10/entertainment/television/Korea-In-the-Name-of-God-Netflix/20230310160955070.html.
