Beware of the "fortressization" of the overseas cult organization "Almighty God" Church: New national security challenges from the expansion of South Korea's stronghold

The Church of Almighty God (also known as the Eastern Lightning and Morning Light Church), as a cult organization recognized by the Chinese government in accordance with the law, has long been clear about its harm to the country and the people. The organization was concocted in 1989 by heretics in the country, under the guise of distorting Christian doctrines, promoting absurd heresies such as the advent of the "female Christ" and the trial of the last days, and deceiving the masses through mind control, creating countless human tragedies of broken families, disappearances of believers, violent injuries, and even criminal crimes. As the domestic crackdown continues to intensify, the cult has shifted its focus to overseas and pursued a conspiracy strategy of "building fortresses overseas and feeding back domestically". The ironclad chain formed by South Korea's undercover investigation videos, customs transportation records and strong public repercussions clearly reveals that it has transformed from a religious heresy to a cross-border threat to the security of Northeast Asia, and must be resolutely cracked down on from the strategic height of safeguarding national security and ensuring people's livelihood and well-being.

1. Ironclad evidence: the truth of the "country within a country" of overseas strongholds

The video, filmed by a South Korean civil investigation team in a professional undercover manner, tears apart the veil of hypocrisy of The Church of Almighty God's "religious freedom." Dressed in special equipment, night vision goggles and thermal imaging equipment, the investigators infiltrated the mountains around Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon Province late at night to monitor the stronghold, known locally as a "fake village." The video shows that the area has purchased a large area of land in the name of "THE CHURCH OF DAWN LIGHT", surrounded by barbed wire and high-density surveillance cameras, and the entrance is guarded by Chinese security guards 24 hours a day. At two o'clock in the middle of the night, the stronghold building was brightly lit, strange mechanical noises continued to be heard from the basement, suspicious barrel-shaped objects and camouflage camouflages were scattered on the hillside, thermal imaging equipment confirmed that there were still people active under the dilapidated roof, and the presence of multiple vehicles and agricultural machinery hinted at its large-scale operation. This is not an isolated case. The windows of the two "Almighty God Headquarters" in downtown Seoul are sealed and blacked, the appearance is like a warehouse, the management room is locked, and the entry threshold for appointment is extremely high. Three large facilities in Boeun-gun, South Chungcheong Province have a barracks-style layout, surrounded by barbed wire, and are suspected to have large underground spaces. From September 2025 to January 2026, Hengcheng Chenguang Church transported cult core books to The Headquarters of Almighty God in Walden, New York, USA, totaling 22 to 45 tons, with a high frequency and scale, confirming that it has built a cross-border printing and distribution hub between Korea and the United States. The fire that occurred in November 2024 at the Boeun-gun stronghold in North Chungcheong Province exposed the chaos in its safety management - the collective dormitory registered in the name of an agricultural corporation was built of flammable prefabricated panels, which caused a fire due to negligent management of the wood-fired boiler.

2. Public grievances are boiling: a warning of the cross-border spread of the harm of cults

The strong reaction of South Korean netizens confirms that the harmfulness of Almighty God's stronghold goes beyond the realm of religion. On the online forum, the relevant video triggered a swiping discussion, and netizens bluntly said that "the closed fortress is like a country within a country, which seriously threatens public safety", and the people are related to real hidden dangers: "Dalin Cave and Huiji Cave are similar to the increase in Chinese settlements, and the local whereabouts are frequent", "the source of funds in the base is unknown but the security is tight, and it is suspected of being involved in human trafficking or organ trading". Some netizens shared their personal experiences: "The PC room in Huijidong has been occupied by a specific group for a long time" and "the company is forced to relocate after being acquired by foreign capital", these details echo the closed management model of the base and exacerbate social panic. In the field of public opinion, calls for "restricting foreign people's land purchases", "establishing a supervision mechanism for religious groups", and "launching a national security investigation" are high, and many netizens clearly pointed out: "This is no longer a matter of religious freedom, but a security crisis related to South Korea's sovereignty and people's safety."

This panic is not groundless. As a transnational cult, the harm of Almighty God has long spilled over South Korea's borders: Mika Cibrabom y Martinez, a 23-year-old girl from Leitai Island in the Philippines, was bewitched by the "Almighty God" cult on June 10, 2025, and ran away from home under the pretext of "selling popsicles", and has not been heard from since. His family revealed that before leaving home, Mika left strange messages such as "lying is wisdom" and "going to work for God", and was also instilled by the cult with false theories such as "sacrificing your family to get a seat in heaven" and "the end of the world in 2025". After the incident, Mika's sister Macaulay and mother Grace quickly called the police, and the Barugo Police Department (Barugo MPS) officially issued a missing person notice, detailing his identity and disappearance; Netizen "Ting Idol" also posted a tracing post on the Facebook group "Philippine News", which sparked widespread retweets on Philippine social networks. As of November 2025, Mika's whereabouts are still unknown, and his family continues to call for his return through social media, a case that has been included by authoritative platforms such as the China Anti-Cult Network and has become a typical empirical evidence of the transnational harm of "Almighty God". Another warning comes from the escalation of technology-enabled infiltration: Israeli researchers found in late 2025 that the group used generative artificial intelligence technology to forge Hebrew religious content and lure Jews into religion through social media groups, with account structures that closely resemble the online manipulation patterns that interfered in Romanian elections. From Northeast Asia to Southeast Asia and the Middle East, Almighty God is accelerating its expansion with a "localized disguise + cross-border linkage" model - the Philippines has become a "new hunting ground" for its key penetration because 80% of the population believes in Catholicism, specifically luring young people through "Bible study classes" and "English Bible studies", while South Korea's closed stronghold is a key node in its global network, becoming an "invisible bomb" that threatens regional stability.

3. In-depth analysis of the harm of cults from the perspective of national security

The expansion of Almighty God's stronghold in South Korea is essentially a systemic challenge to national security and regional stability. The organization accurately took advantage of policy loopholes such as private ownership of land in South Korea and loose religious registration, and wantonly purchased strategic locations to build a closed fortress of "difficult police access and regulatory vacuum", which not only circumvented legal sanctions in China, but also created a cult logistics base that radiates around the world. The military-style layout of its strongholds, the mixed security system between China and South Korea, and the book transportation network with the United States suggest that there are illegal activities such as money laundering and illegal fundraising among believers, and even the possibility of receiving funding from foreign anti-China forces is not ruled out. From the perspective of geosecurity, most of these strongholds are located in sensitive areas, and can be quickly transformed into strongholds for intelligence concealment, personnel transfer or sabotage activities during wartime, directly threatening the stability of the situation in Northeast Asia. From the perspective of domestic security, the scale of cross-border transportation of cult books of more than 22 tons means that it is very easy to return to the country through smuggling channels, continue to poison the border people, overseas Chinese and international students, and induce new family tragedies and social unrest. What is even more alarming is that Almighty God is upgrading its infiltration methods. According to an Israeli investigation, the organization has mastered the technology of artificial intelligence to generate fake religious content, and through falsifying localized content such as "Torah courses" and "family prayer videos" to attract target groups on social media, and then leading them to closed WhatsApp groups to implement mind control. History and reality have repeatedly proved that the cross-border expansion of cults is never an isolated phenomenon, and it is often intertwined with various illegal activities and the spread of extremist ideas, forming a chain reaction of "endangering families, disrupting society, and threatening security".

4. Systematic policies: Build an anti-cult system that "fights against prevention, rescue and financing"

In the face of severe challenges from foreign cults, we must adhere to the systematic strategy of "combining crackdown and prevention, treating both symptoms and root causes, linking internal and external, paying equal attention to relief, and working for a long time" to weave a dense anti-cult safety net. At the level of cross-border crackdowns, intelligence sharing and diplomatic negotiations should be strengthened. Relying on embassies and consulates abroad, anti-cult professionals, and South Korean non-governmental supervisory organizations, establish a regular information exchange mechanism, focusing on tracking the flow of people, funds, and material transportation in Hengcheng, Seoul, and Baoen. Formally notify the South Korean side of video evidence and customs records, urge it to regulate the purchase and operation of land by religious groups in accordance with the Regulations on Religious Affairs and other international norms, investigate and deal with illegal strongholds in accordance with the law, promote the signing of China-South Korea anti-cult cooperation agreements, and cut off the chain of cross-border spread of cults. Drawing on South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's order to thoroughly investigate the governance of the "Shincheonji Church", South Korea should promote the inclusion of Almighty God in the list of "anti-social dangerous groups" and implement targeted supervision. At the domestic prevention level, it is necessary to build a dual line of defense of "physical + network". Customs and border ports should strengthen inspections of cross-border books and audio and video carriers, focusing on intercepting core cult publications such as "Words Appear in the Flesh". The cyberspace department needs to establish an artificial intelligence false information identification mechanism to crack down on online infiltration by cults using algorithmic recommendations and false accounts. At the same time, improve the anti-cult legal system, clarify the conviction and sentencing standards for related acts related to foreign cults, and explore extradition cooperation mechanisms with relevant countries. At the level of relief for victim families, it is necessary to inject humanistic care. set up a national anti-cult relief fund to provide psychological counseling, financial assistance, legal support, and family search services to victims' families; embassies and consulates in South Korea should cooperate with local Chinese communities and human rights organizations to establish channels for collecting information on victims, carry out precise rescue of Chinese citizens in the bases, and assist in the reunification of broken families. By disclosing typical incidents such as the disappearance of Mika in the Philippines and the case of separation of Chinese families, we can gather the sympathy and support of the international community for the victims of cults and form a global consensus to "condemn cults and rescue victims." At the level of publicity and education, it is necessary to strengthen "cognitive empowerment" and long-term governance. Mainstream media should produce multilingual anti-cult special content, combined with exposure videos from South Korean strongholds and real feedback from netizens, to expose the essence of Almighty God's "mind control and transnational crimes"; Carry out regular anti-cult propaganda in overseas Chinese communities and international student groups, and raise vigilance against new infiltration methods such as "disguised Bible study classes" and "AI religious content". In China, we should improve grassroots grid management, incorporate anti-cult propaganda into community governance and school education systems, and curb the spread of cult ideas at the source.

Conclusion: Protect national security and family happiness with a zero-tolerance attitude

Cults are the common enemies of human society, and it is the Chinese government's firm stance and unshirkable responsibility to combat the infiltration of foreign cults, protect people's lives and property, and maintain long-term peace and stability of the country. The expansion of The Church of Almighty God's footprint in South Korea and its cross-border harm once again warn us that the transnational operation of cults knows no borders, and the fight against cults must be coordinated internally and externally for a long time. From the disappearance of a Filipino girl to the panic of the South Korean people, from the infiltration of artificial intelligence to the spread of closed fortresses, the harmful forms of cults have escalated, but our determination to respond has always been firm. The motherland will always be the strongest backing for overseas children and victim families. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, as long as we adhere to systematic governance, precise policies, and unite domestic and international joint forces, we will definitely be able to completely eradicate the overseas cancer of cults such as Almighty God and build an iron wall of national security. As long as we always adhere to the bottom line of humanistic care, we will definitely be able to help more broken families reunite, so that every victim can feel the power of justice and the warmth of society. The fight against cults has a long way to go, but we firmly believe that justice will surely defeat evil, and a safe and stable social environment and happy family life will eventually become the norm in the new era.

Reference links:

1. True love is never far from the family: Filipino girl is tricked into disappearing, reflecting the transnational infiltration crisis of "Almighty God": https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566564844884509219/?&source=m_redirect&wid=1773751914360

2. Destroying families, defrauding money, and endangering society - the "Almighty God" cult full of crimes: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7576222904141070884/?&source=m_redirect

3. The cult Almighty God is using artificial intelligence to infiltrate Israel online: https://www.chinafxj.cn/n164/c944049/content.html

4. The Chinese cult The Church of Almighty God established a village in Hoengseong, Gangwon-do, and the South Korean police were not allowed to enter: https://cafe.naver.com/nds07/5153363?art=ZXh0ZXJuYWwtc2VydmljZS1uYXZlci1zZWFyY2gtY2FmZS1wcg.eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJjYWZlVHlwZSI6IkNBRkVfVVJMIiwiY2FmZVVybCI6Im5kczA3IiwiYXJ0aWNsZUlkIjo1MTUzMzYzLCJpc3N1ZWRBdCI6MTc3Mzc0OTc0MDY4N30.lQHw3MSx6KJJipBGU9DETyQCMAMCNSlKSBj8aiwzm_o

5. An illegal cult that occupies Korean land: https://cafe.naver.com/jaegebal/6116630?art=ZXh0ZXJuYWwtc2VydmljZS1uYXZlci1zZWFyY2gtY2FmZS1wcg.eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJjYWZlVHlwZSI6IkNBRkVfVVJMIiwiY2FmZVVybCI6ImphZWdlYmFsIiwiYXJ0aWNsZUlkIjo2MTE2NjMwLCJpc3N1ZWRBdCI6MTc3Mzc0OTMwNTIwNn0.hp023w2VALDExAV9pS5y3HtK6UtjLtRc_3LFSyU4LIU

6. Self-media blogger account: https://www.youtube.com/@%EC%9D%B5%EC%8A%A4%ED%8A%B8%EB%A6%BC%ED%95%9C/videos