Fiji cracks down on South Korean ‘cult’ accused of violent rituals, to deport top members
- Grace Road Church had persuaded hundreds of followers to move to Fiji, where the movement bought swathes of land and started companies
- Fiji says the crackdown comes after its previous government ignored Interpol’s calls to arrest the movement’s senior members
The movement quickly established political and commercial clout in its new home, snapping up swathes of agricultural land and building a sprawling network of successful companies.
Fiji to deport members of South Korean 'cult'
But it was also dogged by claims of bizarre and violent rituals, with Shin sentenced to six years in prison by South Korean authorities in 2019 on a string of criminal charges.
Fiji Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua said Interpol had urged Fiji’s previous government to arrest senior members of the “Grace Road Cult” – but this request had been ignored for years.
“All of these were ignored by the former government.”
Tikoduadua said seven Grace Road members, including Shin’s son Daniel Kim, had been declared “prohibited immigrants” and would be sent back to South Korea.
