South Korea, “God-Man” Huh Kyung-young in Jail: What I Learned When I Interviewed Him
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His antics easily expose him to accusations of fraud. Charges of embezzlement of funds and “quasi-coercive sexual assault” are more problematic.
June 5, 2025
Arrested on May 16 for fraud, embezzling funds, violating the Political Funds Act, and “quasi-coercive sexual assault,” Huh Kyung-young is one of the most unusual founders of new religious movements I have ever interviewed (and I have met quite a few of them). I learned about him through a paper by Australian-Korean scholar David Kim presented at a conference at the University of Bordeaux. Kim is also the author of the only scholarly article focused on Huh.
Huh is well-known among Koreans for his antics. His birth certificate lists his birth date as July 13, 1947, yet he asserts it is January 1, 1950, a date he connects with mystical significance and associates with ancient Korean prophecies regarding the coming of a God-Man. His father was executed on charges of Communism, which Huh believes were fabricated.
Emerging from a challenging childhood, Huh pursued a dual career as both a politician and a pop singer. He founded several political parties primarily to enhance his presidential candidacy. Huh ran for President in 1987, 1992, 1997, 2007, and 2022 but never secured more than 0.5% of the votes. However, his performance improved in 2021 when he ran for Mayor of Seoul, receiving 1.07% of the votes, which amounted to approximately 52,000 supportive votes from city residents.
He faced two restrictions preventing him from running for office for a decade—once in 2007 and again in 2024—due to defamatory remarks about opponents and false claims regarding his background, such as asserting that he was the adopted son of Samsung’s founder and had secretly advised President Park Chung Hee. Additionally, he made extravagant electoral promises, proposing to relocate the United Nations from New York to Korea and offering $70,000 to every adult Korean if elected.
He had more success as a pop singer, becoming fairly popular, though not a superstar. Some listeners found his songs’ references to his claims of divinity unsettling, especially since he stated that the spirit of Michael Jackson had visited and inspired him.
As his claims grew, a group of fans transformed into a new religious movement. He depicted himself as “God-Man Huh,” a divine incarnation and the reincarnation of the Korean God-Man Kang Jeungsan, from whom many new religious movements originate. As a God-Man, Huh’s blessings—offered for amounts proportional to their effectiveness—are believed to possess extraordinary power, enabling him to perform various miracles, and he is said to command a large host of angels.
I heard that Huh wouldn’t entertain scholars and might require payment for an interview, which I was reluctant to do. Nevertheless, I knew anyone could visit Haneulgung, the Heavenly Palace (or Sky Palace), the headquarters of Huh’s new religious movement (also called Haneulgung) in the countryside near Seoul. Therefore, in November 2022, I requested a friend residing in South Korea to join me, and we knocked at the door of Haneulgung.
A charming lady guided us through the facilities. She also presented plans for a larger building that Huh intended to construct, resembling the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.
Additionally, she showed us a large stone made of an unknown mineral, which she claimed had fallen from the sky. According to her, the stone can be “read” to uncover the truth about Huh.
While she didn’t request money, she kindly suggested purchasing something from the movement’s shop. I chose a baseball cap depicting the “historical” meeting between Huh and Donald Trump, to whom I learned Huh had brought a significant campaign contribution check.
As I typically do, I clarified that I was neither a potential convert nor just a tourist, but rather a scholar of new religious movements keen on studying Huh and his group. I gave her my name, which she then relayed to her superiors. They might have Googled me, or someone within the movement could have recognized my name. To the lady’s astonishment and delight, while we were concluding our visit, she received a phone call from Huh himself. He said he would happily meet with me and address any questions I might have (no interview fee was mentioned or charged).
I was taken to a private worship hall, where about fifty followers awaited Huh, singing religious hymns and popular K-pop songs. Eventually, Huh arrived, spoke a few words, and blessed each devotee. Chairs were arranged at the back of the hall for Huh, my friend, and me. My friend, fluent in Korean, acted as our interpreter since Huh does not speak English.
Huh was friendly, but his claims were somewhat extreme, even for the founder of a new religious movement. He told me there are no limits to what his energy can do. For example, if he wanted, he could strike Putin dead just by wishing it. When I suggested this might not be such a bad idea, he said, without further explanation, that he had decided this would not be wise. He recounted a story that had gotten him into trouble with the law: the milk he blessed remains fresh forever and can be safely consumed even after being kept outside a fridge for years. (He had been investigated when a follower reportedly died after drinking such milk, but was found not guilty).
He asked me to conduct an experiment to confirm his divinity. I was to purchase three oranges and label them with the names Jesus, Buddha, and Huh. I needed to leave them outside the fridge, where I would observe that the oranges named Jesus and Buddha would spoil, while the one labeled Huh would remain fresh. He cautioned me that the names must be written in Korean characters, as poor calligraphy can sometimes lead to the experiment’s failure.
Huh expressed his pride in meeting Donald Trump and congratulated me on buying the hat. He also gave me one of his books in Korean.
It has been two and a half years since my interview. The Heavenly Palace has faced two raids, and Huh has been taken into custody. I do not have sufficient knowledge of the Political Funds Act, and Huh’s outrageous behavior, including selling blessings at exorbitant prices, exposes him to accusations of fraud.
Charges of embezzling funds and “quasi-coercive sexual assault” raise significant doubts. Numerous leaders of Korean new religious movements face accusations of misappropriating funds from their organizations’ accounts for personal use. However, the financial boundaries between the group and the leader often blur in many spiritual movements. Additionally, donors typically do not differentiate between the two. Consequently, leaders charged with embezzlement are accused of stealing from their own pockets.
While I cannot discuss specific incidents, I observed that Huh’s blessings occasionally include hugs and kisses. Huh is acutely aware that these actions could lead to allegations of sexual harassment, prompting him to request that his followers sign statements acknowledging that they may receive hugs and kisses during the blessings, clarifying that such actions are not sexual molestation. Nevertheless, some former female members voiced complaints, leading to the addition of “quasi-coercive sexual assault” to the list of charges.
The phrase “quasi-coercive” implies that the women initially did not feel compelled to accept hugs and kisses, but later recognized that their consent stemmed from brainwashing. Other religious leaders in South Korea have encountered comparable accusations. Since I do not endorse the concept of brainwashing, I see the prosecution of Huh on these charges as a danger to all religions operating in South Korea.
Source: bitterwinter.org
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