[-empyre-] Finding The invisible

[Soo Yon Lee]

Dear everyone on -empyre-

It was such an exhilarating, at the same time, soothing experience to read threads of emails and replies throughout corona days. While all the news around the globe claimed to be “breaking” or “urgent” flooding into emails every day, it is a huge consolation to have a shared base for seeking why and how of things instead of what’s going on. Today, I’d like to share my little thoughts provoked by the pandemic situation back home, South Korea. I call it the unprecedented brings the invisible to light.    

It is already more than a-month-old news by now, around the end of February, at the peak of coronavirus outbreak in South Korea, a super spreader called “crazy ajumma(auntie),” known as Patient No.31 appalled the whole nation by doubling the tally of confirmed cases. No.31 case was especially alarming in that while the entire nation took all possible measures together to prevent the virus from further spreading, she not only refused twice to test for the virus despite developing symptoms but also attended church services(the Shincheonji Church of Jesus) with her fellow devotees in worsening conditions. On net, thousands of netizens condemned No.31 for the irresponsibility, madness, ill-intentioned behavior endangering others. One of the most liked comments on popular web-portal Daum mentioned that Korea is not fighting against the coronavirus but the Shincheonji virus.   

The Shincheonji (meaning New Heaven and New Earth) Church of Jesus, where No.31 belongs, is a cult established in 1984. Adding to its secretive nature, the sect was notorious for the recruiting system. Below is one of their well-known tactics: first, they approach to young people(usually student or newbie at work) disguised as a counselor conducting a psychological test. After the test, the assumed tester pretend to interpret the result, tricking counselee into meeting him/her regularly so that the examiner could supposedly help to resolve their issues, as a mentor. In the end, the mentor brings them to the Bible study, and only after several months of Bible study, they(the study team) reveal their true identity, Shincheonji. By then, students were too attached to the group members. They can hardly leave the pack, although staying in the cult defies their common sense. 

Since the Shincheonji Church of Jesus has flourished over 20 years, it is not big news to Korean how Shincheonji operates. For long, they have infiltrated to the society that they were already everywhere, in the street, in the neighborhood meeting, in the school, at work, even in mainstream churches. Then why the strong presence of the cult comes as a sudden revelation to Korean society in times of global pandemic? Why now? The most probable explanation that I could come up with was because their uncomfortable existence is visible now; moreover, people realize how much hatred and regrets they have harbored against society all the way. 

Shincheonji activities became obtrusive when the whole nation came together to execute one ultimate goal, to fight against one enemy, coronavirus. In normal days, society naturally bears system to assess varied values, divided parties to suggest different solutions for the same problems. There was some Shincheonji generated cacophony, but those were not much recognized, almost negligible. On top of everything else, the dissonance was insignificant because it only happened in the marginalized corner of the society among invisible people: Shincheonji approached the most vulnerable, people who had trouble adjusting themselves in frenetically on-the-go 24/7 K-society. With or without Shincheonji, they tend to disappear from workplace, school, or neighborhood; students who were under extreme stress over the competitive academic environment, newcomers of the town(city) who didn’t have enough money to find places in expensive cost of living city, et cetera. All of them fell easy prey to Shincheonji disguised in mentors, friends, teachers, whoever pretended to care for them. And now they all turn out to be No.31s, ready to execute the doomsday plan for pseudo-christ Lee, the most Hight and alone sovereignty they are cognizant of. Thus, even during the snowballing outbreak, they didn’t mind worldly laws, regulations, or government orders given to them, which ensure the continuity of the community, the society, the whole nation. They have not recognized from society so long that there is no reason for them to sustain one. It was only after Lee’s public statement on March 2(pressured by the government to prosecute Lee for endangering public health) Shincheonji Daegu branch began to cooperate with local government.  

As I have grown in Korean society, I have been aware of the cult’s activities, yet I have never questioned myself where they came from, why they were there, how they could exist. Now I understand they are made from the invisible in my classes, workplace, or neighborhood. I am frightened to know that there are people not willing to fight with coronavirus together because they feel like they were ousted from the community. A further sadness is that we have not recognized them enough in classes, workplaces, or neighborhood until they go to the extreme in the worst situation ever, coronavirus. Back in 2011, when I organized an exhibit “The Art of Communication” at MMCA, I invited Philip Parreno to address problems in cities that we have in common. One of the considered artworks for the exhibit was “Invisible Boy,” a story about an illegal immigrant Chinese boy and his imaginary monsters incarnated by his fears and anxieties. The artwork was not part of the exhibit at that time because the invisible stayed invisible to me. In this time of the revelation, I might finally apprehend the full meaning of the artwork. 

Stay safe and connected

Warmest,
Sooyon