Shin Young-bok (left), who was involved in the Revolutionary Party for National Unification, and Jeong Myeong-seok, the cult leader of ‘JMS’.The Revolutionary Party for National Unification (Tonghyukdang) incident was the largest spy ring case that caused a stir in the 1960s.

In connection with this incident, a total of 158 people were apprehended, and 50 were arrested. Among them, the main perpetrators, Kim Jong-tae, Kim Jil-rak, and Lee Mun-gyu, were executed by hanging. Shin Young-bok, the former professor at Sungkonghoe University and the face of the soju brand 'Chum Churum,' received a life sentence. However, he was released after serving 20 years and submitting a letter of repentance.

People Dreaming of Utopia

Elite University Students Targeted

However, in this land, besides the Revolutionary Party for National Unification, there are other organizations whose ultimate goal is to build a heaven on earth.

These are cults like the Christian Gospel Mission (JMS). JMS claims that heaven is not just a place to go after death, but a heaven on earth realized by building "new heavens and a new earth" in this world.

Jeong Myeong-seok, the cult leader of JMS, who claimed to be the "Messiah" and "second coming Jesus," exploited his followers financially and sexually. One might wonder who would fall for such shoddy logic, but surprisingly, those who lead this organization are from the social elite, represented by elite university students.

JMS specifically targeted young women who were tall and attractive, and elite university students from Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. They approached them under the guise of dance or art classes and volunteer activities.

After forming a sense of intimacy by listening to the targets' concerns, the recruiters brainwashed them into believing Jeong Myeong-seok was the "Messiah" or "Teacher."

JMS is known to have used a phased strategy of "recruitment - reporting - instruction - execution" when bringing in new followers. What is surprising is that the Revolutionary Party for National Unification also followed this method to expand its influence.

In the recruitment phase, the Revolutionary Party for National Unification first approached the elite, such as intellectuals and journalists on university campuses, according to the principle of "first the progressive intellectuals, then the grassroots." Seoul National University students were particularly targeted, and they focused on infiltrating student campus organizations to recruit students into the underground party.

Report and Receive Instructions, Receive Instructions and Execute

The second step in recruiting followers, as carried out by Jeong Myeong-seok, was the "reporting phase." In this phase, Jeong Jo-eun, JMS's second-in-command, compiled lists of followers, including their photos, heights, and personalities, and reported them to Jeong Myeong-seok. Then, women who met criteria such as beauty were organized into a group called "stars" and managed.

The Revolutionary Party for National Unification also had a procedure where the main perpetrators, such as Kim Jong-tae, compiled and reported the status of their activities in South Korea, military intelligence, and protest situations to North Korea.

In the third "instruction phase," Jeong Myeong-seok of JMS instructed his executives to summon specific followers to the training center in Wolmyeongdong, Geumsan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, or to overseas headquarters.

Similarly, the North Korean leadership instructed the South Korean underground party, the Revolutionary Party for National Unification, to build an underground party for armed insurrection and popular uprising, and to conduct infiltration operations within the military.

In the fourth "execution phase," JMS executives arranged for Jeong Myeong-seok to be alone with specific followers and conveyed instructions to them. They concealed any problems that arose during this process and appeased members to prevent them from leaving.

The seditious organization, the Revolutionary Party for National Unification, also easily accessed the public through discourses on social science, literature, and current affairs via a legal magazine called "Cheongmaek." Then, through the underground newspaper "Hyeokmyeong Jeonseon" (Revolutionary Front), they disseminated the organization's identity, line, and code of conduct.

They also infiltrated academic circles, monitored campus trends, and organized groups like the "National Liberation Front" and "Fatherland Liberation Front" to systematically expand their underground party organization. During this process, Kim Jong-tae received $66,000 (approximately 18.15 million won at the exchange rate at the time) from North Korea as operational funds to use for organizational expenses.

The point to note here is that both Jeong Myeong-seok's religious group and the Revolutionary Party for National Unification's political group focused intensively on the elite.

Securing Social Influence and Legitimacy Through the Elite

By Reporter Lim Yo-hee