‘I Am God’ PD: “Even After Receiving Presidential Award, Pornography? I Will Keep Fighting”

Director Seonghyun Jo, who directed the Netflix documentary "I Am God: The People Betrayed by God," expressed his devastation over being referred to the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (Sexual Violence Punishment Act) and stated his intention to continue legal battles.

Producer Seonghyun Jo, who directed the Netflix documentary "I Am God: The People Betrayed by God."
[Photo by Netflix]

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On the 20th, Director Jo said in an official statement, "Considering the current situation I am facing due to the police's judgment, I feel very devastated, but I will continue to fight."

He explained, "The scenes mentioned by the Mapo Police Station currently have a high level of mosaic applied to the faces, as can be seen in the work," adding, "JMS has continuously claimed that the footage was fabricated even before the documentary was released, so for the public interest purpose of exposing the abnormality of the cult and for factual accuracy, I did not apply mosaics to the bodies." He also added, "The documentary 'I Am God,' produced in this way, underwent rating review and decision by the Video Rating Board and was released."

"I Am God" is an investigative documentary dealing with allegations of sexual crimes by Jeong Myeong-seok, the leader of the Christian Gospel Mission (JMS), and was released in March last year. After its release, it ranked 5th in global viewing rankings, and Director Jo received the 2023 Korea Content Awards Presidential Citation (Broadcasting and Video Industry Development Merit).

Director Jo lamented, "The Mapo Police Station, through the referral with a prosecution opinion, claimed that the public interest gained by 'I Am God' is minimal and compared the scenes with altered faces and voices, suggesting that the private interests of JMS's fervent followers are greater," adding, "They have stigmatized me, the director who shed light on the JMS case, as a sexual offender and 'I Am God' as obscene material."

He criticized, "If this claim were true, it would mean that the government awarded a presidential citation to obscene material, and that the Korean prosecution and courts used obscene material as evidence and permitted its public release."

He emphasized, "The reason for making investigative documentaries is to give a 'voice,' even if faint, on behalf of the powerless and wronged," adding, "Because of such voices, we can witness the world changing, and I am confident that the world the next generation will live in will improve."

He continued, "Soon, society will witness who wanted to hide what," and said, "I hope the public authority of the Republic of Korea will take the lead in realizing justice for the public interest, not for cults."

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