Christian Gospel Mission (CGM) announces its stance on 7NEWS’ Spotlight program, which
was aired in Australia on July 2, 2023.
CGM has been following Jesus for the past 45 years and has brought about a revival of faith
in this age with the gospel of ‘Only God’ and ‘love for lives.’ In the process, despite being
unjustly misunderstood and persecuted by vested interests in society, it has grown steadily
because of the positive religious experience that is demonstrated in the lives of individuals.
CGM commits to being transparent with media groups that give it the opportunity to speak
and fairly express its point of view.

1) CGM follows the teachings of the Bible and does not engage in activities that contradict
them. The doctrine and culture of CGM never justify sexual misconduct. Therefore, the
allegations of sexual grooming and sex trafficking shown on the 7NEWS’ Spotlight program
are outrageous allegations for the sake of the sensationalism of the broadcast and are
seriously defamatory of the organization.

2) CGM Korea regrets the unethical and unconscionable behaviour of 7NEWS. Before
covering CGM Korea, the 7NEWS Spotlight crew signed an agreement to deal with both
sides’ claims impartially and to not do biased broadcasting or distortive edits. However,
7NEWS violated the agreement. They lied in order to get the footages they wanted.
Although they entered Wolmyeongdong with polite guidance under an agreement with CGM
and covered Wolmyeongdong, they distorted the truth by expressing that they were the first
media company to succeed in “infiltrating” into it and portrayed CGM as a closed and
dangerous organization. This behaviour of 7NEWS shows that they have no understanding
or respect for religion and culture.

3) 7NEWS’ Spotlight reported on allegations against CGM Australia that it had recruited
members in a deceptive manner and had taken away their personal freedom. CGM regrets
that those who made such claims have felt that way. However, CGM pursues transparency
in the way it preaches the gospel and fully respects the autonomy and free will of its
members. In addition, CGM as an organization does not tolerate food and sleep restrictions,
nor deceptive recruitment of members. CGM encourages its members to maintain a healthy
lifestyle and develop their talents, and actively cooperates with them to this end.

4) 7NEWS’ inappropriate coverage follows in the footsteps of Netflix’s “In the Name of God”
program. Ahead of the court’s ruling, they abused the power of the media to misrepresent
legal issues and CGM’s point of view.” 7NEWS published only one side of the argument,
concluding that CGM was a criminal organization, and punished even unrelated people by
releasing their personal videos. According to South Korean law, disseminating a person’s
photo or information without their consent is a violation of human rights and a offense.
CGM will take action and respond in accordance with the due process.

5) Since a significant portion of 7NEWS’ Spotlight program uses content from Netflix’s “In
the Name of God,” please refer to CGM’s statement dated April 26 for information on the matter.
Christian Gospel Mission Korea
July 07, 2023