A Korean man who was allegedly lured to the Atlanta area by a “religious group” to “find God” after a traumatic experience was found dead, weighing 70 pounds, in the trunk of his car.
Prosecutors say Cho Se-hee, 33, was killed during a brutal initiation process into Soldiers of Christ, a fanatical religious group led by two Korean brothers.
Seven people, most of them family members, allegedly kept Cho in the basement of their home for several weeks, beating him with belts, dousing him in ice, and starving him to death.
Law enforcement said they believe they have all of the “soldiers” in custody since Cho's body was discovered in September 2023, but fears of cult activity have led to It sent a shiver down the spine of the Korean community of “Seoul of the South.'' Georgia and cult experts say such groups operate in the shadows across the United States.
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Law enforcement in Gwinnett County, Georgia, found Se-hee Cho, 33, in the trunk of a car outside a Korean spa in Duluth, about 40 miles north of Atlanta, according to Gwinnett County Police. (Gwinnett County Police Department)
The Soldiers of Christ was officially listed as a criminal street gang under Georgia law by the Gwinnett County Police Department. press release.
According to the Associated Press, Junho Lee, 26, who prosecutors identified as the founder of the Soldiers of Christ, wanted 12 disciples after Cho's death, and a Korean-American Georgia State University student. It is alleged that he tried to recruit students.
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In the four months since Cho's body was discovered, seven people have been arrested, including his three brothers, their mother, and three others. Each defendant was charged with felonies, including murder.
Juno said he received direct instructions from God, a disturbing trait common among cult leaders, investigators said. Dr. Steve Hassanwho fled a Korean cult in the 1970s and became the fanatical sect's guru and mental health expert.
He told Fox News Digital that Cho's suspected death was more consistent with cult activity than a street gang.
From left: Gawom Lee, Hyunji Lee, Junho Lee, Juonyeom Lee, and Eric Hyun were arrested and charged with brutally murdering a woman in the Atlanta area in September 2023. (Gwinnett County Jail)
Mihee Lee, the mother of the alleged leader of Soldiers for Christ, was arrested with her three children. (Gwinnett County Jail)
Prosecutors say Cho suffers from depression and is a highly susceptible target, and that “soldiers” took her to Lee's family home in July 2023 to “find God.” It is said that he went there.
At a random opening stage, Junho is allegedly seen on video hitting Cho with a belt and immersing him in an ice bath while other suspects look on. fox 5 atlanta report.
According to Fox 5 Atlanta, Cho asked to leave immediately.
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According to police, the group's co-leader, 15-year-old Junyeoug Lee, told investigators, “I can't quit this program.''
Hassan has criticized all these allegations as a cult, but he told Fox News Digital that “they were probably performing an exorcism” when Cho was allegedly killed. .
“The person was a misfit because he had questions and wanted to leave,” Hassan said in an interview Monday.
“Then the leader said, “I'm going to hit him physically to get the soul out of him, or I'm going to starve him until the soul is gone.''
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Hassan said the manner in which Cho was allegedly killed and Juno's claims that he received divine revelation are even more worrying features of the cult.
“And there are thousands of these groups in the United States, each with a different name,” he said.
Dr. Stephen Hassan, who fled a South Korean cult in the 1970s and became a leading expert on fanatic sects and mental health experts, spoke to FOX News Digital about the “Soldiers of Christ.” (Carolyn Ross/Freedom of Mind)
Most of these splinter groups have less than 25 members and are run by people who either grew up in a cult and did not receive counseling, or who left the cult and founded their own cult.
“I liken it to being like a mutation,” Hassan said. “A person who leaves a cult but does not receive proper counseling may start his own version because the cult remains in his head.”
“Or maybe they left because they were drawn to another cult that was familiar to them. They're looking for structure, authority, and black-and-white certainty.”
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Cult experts say the suspicion that Cho was starved to death is a common control tactic, along with sleep deprivation and restricting access to information and former cult members.
The idea is to “shut down critical thinking” and instill “an irrational fear of questioning leaders, doctrines and policies,” he said.
suspect and charges
A total of seven people were arrested in connection with Cho's death, and each suspect was charged with crimes including murder, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, and concealing the death of another person.
Junho, 15-year-old Lee Jun-yog (who is being tried as an adult), and 22-year-old Lee Jun-yeom are all brothers. Their mother, Lee Mi-hee, was arrested a month later in October 2023.
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The other three suspects were named Gawom Lee, 26, a cousin of the Lee family who was visiting from South Korea. Hyunji Lee (25), Junho Lee's fiance. and 26-year-old Eric Hyun.
Hyun's lawyer said: Associated Press His client, like Cho, had been drafted and tortured and would have been killed if he had left.
lawyer's answer
Fox News Digital reached out to attorney David Whitman, who is representing Junyoug Lee, for comment via voicemail message and left an email with attorney Scott Drake, who is representing Joonho Lee. Mr. Jason Park, Lee Juonyeom's agent. Mr. John Burgess, Mihee Lee's agent. Mr. John Kim, Gawon Lee's agent. And Ashley McMahan, who represents Lee Hyun-ji.
No lawyers immediately responded.
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According to the Associated Press, Drake said he was still gathering information and could not immediately comment on behalf of his client Junho Lee.
Lee Hyun-ji's lawyer, McMahan, told The Associated Press that her client was treated like an “indentured servant” by the other defendants and that Cho's alleged incarceration was He said he had been in South Korea for a while but didn't know what was going on.
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Mihee Lee's lawyer, Burgess, also declined to comment to The Associated Press.
