Singer and producer Park Jin-young has described as "persecution" the allegations that his religious group, Cheotyeolmaedeur (First Fruits), is a heretical or cult-like organization.
Appearing Tuesday on the group's YouTube channel, Park made the remarks during a sermon on self-confidence. "We have now started to be called a heresy or a cult, and the persecution has begun in earnest," he said. "Resolving this is not something we do in our own way — it will be resolved at the right moment, in the right way."
He went on to say that the response would not involve arguing doctrine or flooding comment sections with organized replies. "The way to escape persecution over heresy and cult labels is not through our own efforts — it is something God does," he said.
That day, Park also opened up about what led him to faith. "For the first time at age 40, something didn't go the way I wanted. Before that, even if I failed, I could just keep trying," he said. "For the first time I hit a truly desperate situation and had no idea what to do. I lost my confidence."
Earlier, on Sept. 19, Park uploaded a 1-hour-12-minute video to the same channel titled "What denomination is Park Jin-young's church?" in which he personally explained Cheotyeolmaedeur's doctrine and theological background.
He described the group as "surprisingly having clear roots and a proper lineage," saying it drew on Wesleyan Methodism for its understanding of how eternal life is obtained, and on the American fundamentalist independent Baptist tradition associated with Peter Ruckman for its interpretation of whether eternal life, once obtained, can be lost. Aspects that differ from established denominations, he said, represent doctrine the group has developed on its own.
He also noted that Cheotyeolmaedeur includes members from a range of backgrounds — Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist and Shinchonji among them — but drew a line against any suggestion of affiliation with a specific organization. "Just because we have members who came from Shinchonji doesn't mean our church is Shinchonji," he said.
Meanwhile, the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), one of the country's largest Protestant denominations, is conducting a denominational-level study of Park and Cheotyeolmaedeur's teachings. It is expected to report its findings at the regular general assembly in September 2027. No official conclusion has been reached yet.
Cheotyeolmaedeur grew out of Park's Bible lectures and study gatherings and has since expanded into a church-like organization. It currently holds services and meetings in eight locations, including Seoul, Busan and Los Angeles.
In 2018, when allegations emerged that Park had led gatherings associated with the so-called "salvation sect," Park denied them, saying he had merely rented a venue at his own expense for Bible study. In a 2020 appearance on MBC's "Radio Star," he also said, "I have no denomination. It is still just a Bible study among ourselves."
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