A statue of Karl Marx, a proponent of materialism who rejected the existence of God. / pixabay image. 

Standing Representative of the National Council for a Unified Korea & Former Representative of a North Korean Trading Company in the Czech Republic Some people might curse me if I were to call South Korean religious figures fraudsters akin to those in the North Korean communist dictatorship. However, I am writing this from the perspective of an individual who has experienced both communist and liberal democratic societies.

The communists I encountered were the ultimate fraudsters. North Korean communists propagate that believing in and being loyal only to the Great Leader brings glory in life and eternal life after death. The North Korean people believed these words and offered their utmost loyalty to the Leader for three generations.

However, what the people received in return was nothing but hunger, fear, and a life like beasts on a leash. Defectors are witnesses to this reality.

No matter how much they trusted and followed the Kim family, the society where they starved to death was a communist society, lacking even the corn porridge that Kim Il-sung had promised, let alone the white rice, meat stew, and tiled houses. That is why I confidently state that communists are the greatest fraudsters in human history.

Yet, having lived the latter half of my life in liberal South Korea, I am writing this because there are fraudsters here who are just like the communists.

These are none other than religious figures who lie, claiming that if one diligently prays and believes, God will protect the nation and fulfill all personal desires. That's not all. They commit fraud by saying that one receives greater grace by offering more tithes. The subjects may differ—"Great Leader" versus "God"—but they perfectly resemble communists.

Of course, I am absolutely not lumping all religious figures together in criticism. I respect patriotic pastors, monks, and followers who have sacrificed their lives for the nation more than anyone else.

Among them are pastors who, for years, have held placards on the streets daily, demanding the exposure of fraudulent elections, and pastors who have been arrested for their patriotism. There are also monks who dedicate their lives to patriotism.

The fraudulent religious figures I am criticizing today are the fake religious individuals who use Jesus or Buddha as a pretense to deceive the nation and its people and engage in wicked deeds. I will highlight a few of them.

Firstly, those who claim to serve heaven do not hesitate to commit treason and espionage under the guise of heaven. Many pastors, priests, and monks preach against wrongdoing, yet they themselves engage in all sorts of shameful and vile acts, allied with the communist devils.

How much have churches and cathedrals in South Korea cooperated in extorting money from their followers to prolong the lives of the North Korean devils? Such pastors and priests are fraudsters wearing the mask of religion and are traitors.

Secondly, these are the pastors and priests who claim that God will protect the Republic of Korea if one diligently prays in church or cathedral and offers many tithes, without engaging in any patriotic struggle for the nation.

I state this boldly: God gives nothing for free without genuine repentance, earnest prayer, and consistent effort. These three are essential.

However, churches and cathedrals deceive people by claiming that God will grant their prayers if they pray diligently. Some even claim that God will grant prayers only if one offers a large amount in tithes.

In reality, religious figures in South Korea are sinners who have ruined the nation by sending criminals and spies to the National Assembly and making them presidents with their own hands. Yet, they commit fraud by claiming the nation will be restored if they simply pray, without any repentance for their sins.

Thirdly, those who never participate in the Taegeukgi (South Korean flag) rallies but boast that Korea is a nation protected by God and will never fall, are deceiving themselves.

Has South Korea truly never fallen? For 500 years of the Joseon Dynasty, the king of Joseon was a vassal state of China, needing China's approval to reign. And was the 36 years under Japanese rule not a fall? The history of Korea is a history of ruin caused by armchair intellectuals who only wag their tongues.

There are approximately 5,800 churches, 1,747 cathedrals, and over 17,100 Buddhist temples in Korea. If these churches, cathedrals, and temples had upheld the will of heaven even slightly, the nation would not be heading towards ruin like this.

Religious people speak of "heaven helps those who help themselves," but they do not engage in any struggle or effort to save the nation. Almost all religions in Korea have devolved into profit-making businesses. Worse still, they collect tithes to aid the North Korean dictator or have become hiding places for criminals and spies.

Ultimately, Korean religions, including Catholicism, are fraudulent schemes run by traitors who flatter and submit to the communist devils, despite claiming to believe in heaven. Thus, the Republic of Korea, established by God's will, is becoming a cursed nation in just 80 years of its founding. 

Kim Tae-san, Standing Representative of the National Council for a Unified Korea & Former Representative of a North Korean Trading Company in the Czech Republic