[Hyung-ju Heo's Column] Cult Groups Utilizing Platforms Beyond YouTube, Now Including Danggeun Market

The Evolving Patterns of Cult Indoctrination
Three Common Characteristics of Cults
Studying to Protect Yourself

When I was in the third grade of elementary school, I received a flyer in front of my school. The flyer was about a ‘free cake-making’ class. Eager to try making a cake, I grabbed my younger sister’s hand and hopped into a black van in front of the school, heading to an unknown destination.

At the place we arrived, they taught us the children’s song <Pretty Baby Bear> and threw sponge cakes at us, pretending it was cake-making. What I vividly remember is that there was a large picture of a man’s face on one wall. Even at a young age, seeing that oversized man’s face, I had a gut feeling that something was wrong. This is my first memory of being lured into a cult by cake—a nameless cult.

The indoctrination method back then (‘during my time’) was like this. Times have changed, and with the evolution of media, cult indoctrination methods have also evolved. Recently, promotional posts for a cult that was heavily featured in the Netflix series <In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal> appeared on my YouTube algorithm.

After watching one video, a series of related videos popped up. Seeing how easily these videos that could destroy a person’s life and family were being exposed made me realize the seriousness of the situation. Various types of ‘cults’ are spreading through YouTube.

Not only the religious cults that we are familiar with, but also New Age cults that emphasize meditation, self-improvement cults that claim certain actions lead to success, and sex cults that claim to achieve enlightenment through orgasm—there are many different types of cults, and they are widespread.

In this column, I want to discuss the characteristics of cults, the stages of brainwashing, modern indoctrination methods, and ways to protect yourself from cults so that you can be discerning in the face of these easily accessible cult contents.

First, cults have three common characteristics.First, they have a charismatic leader.Every cult has a leader. The leader is a figure who deifies themselves and exhibits narcissistic tendencies.

The second characteristic is mind control.Cults have a brainwashing program. To implement this program, they intentionally create a closed environment and cut off communication with the outside world. The third characteristic is the exploitation of followers.This usually involves financial, sexual, or labor exploitation.

For this column, I watched all the cult documentaries available on Netflix around the world, and through them, I was able to see these three common characteristics firsthand. Typically, the cult leaders ‘acted’ as if they had divine authority and abilities to show their charisma.

For instance, a cult leader who claimed to have the power to heal illnesses would put raw chicken intestines in their mouth beforehand and then spit them out, claiming that the illness was cured. Another leader who claimed that he could make people see light through prayer would use a laser to create a light show in front of blindfolded followers. These were all absurd scams, but when everyone in the group reacted the same way, it instilled a sense of belief.

The second characteristic of cults, mind control, begins with the crucial task of severing ties with family and friends. In the documentaries, scenes often showed family members appearing and expressing their suffering. Someone who truly loves you will try to bring harmony to your relationships. Cults, however, tend to sow discord, isolate their followers, and make them dependent on the cult.

Financial exploitation involved gaslighting people into believing that money was connected to salvation and that everything had to be donated. Sexual exploitation is more horrific, with followers being brainwashed into believing that sex with the leader is glorious or that touching them is necessary for healing. Labor exploitation is the most common, where followers are forced to work endlessly without pay within the cult organization.

It feels foolish to fall for something as absurd as a cult. The reason why people fall victim to cults is because they are brainwashed. But how does brainwashing happen? The Netflix documentary <Explained: The Trap of Faith> describes brainwashing in seven stages. First, they target individuals who are going through a difficult transition in their lives. Targeting those who are physically or mentally vulnerable is the first step.

Second is the stage of gentle persuasion. They identify and fulfill the target’s needs, giving them candy, so to speak. If the target has a desire to learn piano, for instance, they would assign someone who plays the piano within the group to be by their side and fulfill their need.

Third, they isolate the individual in a closed environment. They cut off communication with the outside world and ensure that the cult members only interact with each other.

The fourth stage is the most crucial: making the cult ‘leader’ the most important person in their life. In isolation, with the cult leader showering them with sweet things, it’s natural for them to regard the cult leader as the most important person in their life.

Fifth, they create external enemies to solidify the leader’s position. When there are external enemies, a protector becomes necessary. They establish the leader as this protector and make the followers psychologically dependent on the leader under the guise of protecting them from the enemies.

In the sixth stage, they apply pressure to conform through the group. They create a situation where it is difficult to be the only one saying ‘2’ when everyone else says ‘1’.

Finally, the seventh stage is to make people comply with the whims of the sociopathic narcissist. The first six stages ultimately lead to the seventh stage. The Jonestown massacre, where 918 cult followers committed mass suicide at the command of their leader, is a gruesome example of the seventh stage in action.

So far, we have examined the characteristics of cults and the brainwashing process. Let’s also look at the methods cults are using to recruit followers these days, in addition to YouTube promotions. One of the most popular recruitment methods is through the app Daangn Market. One method is to post very inexpensive items on Daangn Market and then engage in small talk with potential recruits when they contact them. Another is to offer free personal color tests on Daangn Market and then create teams to systematically recruit people. These teams work like a chain, with Person A trying to recruit, then Person B if A fails, then Person C if B fails, etc.

Other popular methods include creating hobby-related Instagram accounts to hold cooking classes or similar events to attract people, and having attractive male and female cult members infiltrate dating apps and use dating as a cover for recruitment. Be wary of free gatherings or events. There might be hidden traps in seemingly free offers.

When do cults collapse? While watching various cult documentaries, I found that the people who played the biggest role in bringing down cults were journalists. In most cases, the misdeeds of the cult were exposed through journalists’ reports, and as a result, the truth came to light and the cult gradually crumbled.

The role of the journalist’s ‘pen’ was tremendous. Along with journalists, whistleblowers who escaped from the cult and had the courage to speak out also played a significant role. In most cases, the combination of whistleblowers and journalists led to the downfall of the cult. As a result, some large cults also try to take over influential media outlets to silence dissent and maintain their power.

Countless cults are emerging and expanding their reach online. Even if they don’t take the guise of religion, they might be individuals claiming that if you just believe them, you can make money or that you can enter a utopia if you follow them. Blindly following such people is a form of cult behavior as well. Be wary of manipulative creators.

Don’t become a slave to a narcissist. Content is a vessel that carries ideas. Pay close attention to the content you are consuming and the message that the creator of that content is conveying. New-generation online leaders are using social media to attract virtual followers. Social media can quickly disseminate information to a large number of followers, and those who are vulnerable are very likely to lose their way.

※ This article was written by me, andit is a contribution to Woman Economy Newspaper. Some parts of the text can be found in the original article.