A Netflix docuseries could change Korea — if the government lets it air

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A Netflix docuseries could change Korea — if the government lets it air

Published: 13 Aug. 2025, 17:13 Updated: 13 Aug. 2025, 17:35

KIM JI-YE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Producer Jo Seong-hyeon of the upcoming Netflix series ″The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea's Tragedies″ speaks during a news conference in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Aug.13. [NEWS1]

On the way to a news conference for his upcoming Netflix production, Jo Seong-hyeon still wasn't totally sure if the docuseries would actually be released.

It's not the first time he's felt this way.

On July 29, The Christian Gospel Mission — better known as JMS, and widely believed to be a cult — filed with the Seoul Western District Court to stop the upcoming two-year project, “The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea’s Tragedies,” from airing on the streaming service. A hearing took place on Tuesday.

The same thing happened to Jo's last documentary, "In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal," in 2023. JMS and Baby Garden, another religious sect, both sought preliminary injunctions to stop the release of the series, which exposed the dark secrets of four Korean cults, including sexual abuse and murder. Courts sided with Jo that year, and the show continued to air on Netflix.

As of press time on Wednesday, two days ahead of the planned release, “The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea’s Tragedies” was still awaiting Seoul Western District Court's ruling on whether it can run.

“I want to say, ‘Please look forward to our show opening on Aug. 15 at 4 p.m.,’ but I couldn’t stop thinking: What if the show ends up not being released?” Jo said during the news conference Wednesday in Yongsan District, central Seoul. “So, I felt a bit heavyhearted all the way here.”

A poster for the upcoming Netflix series ″The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea's Tragedies,″ set to be released on Aug. 15 [NETFLIX]

"The Echoes of Survivors: Inside Korea’s Tragedies," a follow-up, moves beyond cults to cover four Korean tragedies, shedding light on the survivors of each. In addition to revisiting the Christian Gospel Mission cult that “In the Name of God” covered heavily, Jo's new work looks into the Brothers’ Home, a facility in Busan that kidnapped and abused thousands of people, the 1995 Sampoong Department Store collapse and the Chijon Family, a gang infamous for its gruesome murders.

Jo is no stranger to high-stakes work. Before his Netflix era, he worked on MBC's "PD Note" (1990-), one of Korea's most well-known and long-running investigative programs. Still, working on the two docuseries spooked him: He and his family were followed and received death threats during both production processes. But he never once thought about abandoning the projects. One thing has driven him to continue exposing atrocities: their survivors.

“Once, my son overheard my wife and me talking, and he said to me, ‘Dad, are you going to jail?’ In that moment, it felt like my heart was broken,” he said. “Even so, the reason I push myself to move on was none other than the promise I had made to the many people who trusted me and our team to…share their stories.”

He added, “I never once thought about giving up because I'd made a promise.”

Jo hopes the upcoming release will bring those people justice, including an apology to the survivors of the Brothers' Home.

“Those who caused harm to these people, such as the state, the police, or the Busan city authorities, have yet to utter a single word of apology,” Jo said. “I hope people come to understand what happens when the value of a human being is overlooked.”

Jo added, “After seeing these cases, I believe that the viewers will come to the same conclusion I did: that these things are still happening and that for some people, their hell has not yet ended.”

But he also doesn't think apologies are enough. “I also hope it sparks a deeper conversation about the structural changes we truly need to make,” he said.

Before any of that, though, the show needs to be released.

“This is something everyone needs to know,” he said pointedly. “And I have faith in Korea’s courts, so I have no doubt that they will make a sound decision.”

The show will premiere on Netflix on Friday if it airs as originally scheduled.

BY KIM JI-YE [[email protected]]