“Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light also sends a letter to the UN secretary-general to stop human rights violations and religious oppression in South Korea”.
Editor’s desk in New York
Achuo Resco, a peace ambassador representing the National Youth Group in Cameroon has sent a message to the South Korean Government. It comes as members of the Shincheonji Church and Heavenly Culture World Peace Restoration of Light continues to face discrimination and oppression since the covid-19 outbreak in the country. In a statement released to the media, Resco said peace is a necessity for all.
“I have a message to deliver to the South Korean government. Conflict is inevitable, but peace is a necessity. Therefore, I would like to urge the government to put an end of oppression and discrimination with a smooth resolution to bring happiness with peace in the country. With eliminating oppression and discrimination on Shincheonji Church and (Heavenly Culture World Peace Restoration of Light), we believe we can build a more unified and prosperous world free from war and discrimination”, the Cameroonian youth leader said.
Meanwhile, the HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light) has sent a joint letter to the UN secretary-general to stop human rights violations and religious oppression in South Korea.HWPL has sent press releases containing several human rights violations including the Shincheonji Church issue during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Although the church has followed the guidelines of infectious diseases control, local media made unjust discrimination against ethnic minorities and religious groups by misreporting the story.
On August 10th, 155 youth groups with one million members from 62 countries around the world sent a joint letter to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN affiliates on the matter. The letter contained a request for recommendations to stop discrimination against Shincheonji Church, a new Christian denomination headquartered in South Korea, and a UN ECOSOC-affiliated organization named HWPL.
Thus, we request media coverage to deliver the outcry of youth around the world to the government and the United Nations and to build and implement solutions to rectify anti-human rights and anti-social action. South Korea is one of the countries with harsh restrictions on migrants, minorities and other sectors of society.
Jenny Lee, Public relations officer of the Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL),an international peace NGO affiliated with UN ECOSOC and DGC said their aim is to facilitate a cessation of war and bring interfaith harmony in religions across the country and the world.
Shincheonji Church is a new Christian denomination. Its beliefs are a bit different from other main Christian churches and the group has been reportedly harassed several times by the Korean government since the Covid-19 outbreak was reported.
On July 20, a webinar entitled “COVID-19 and Religious Freedom: the Scapegoating of Shincheonji in South Korea” was held with experts in the field of religious and international law, and human rights. The webinar topic was political, religious, and social outcomes for a new religious movement in the recent COVID-19 crisis.