More Information on Oom Yung Doe

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Posted by Black Tiger on September 14, 2000 at 21:03:57:

In Reply to: Re: anyone every heard of Bolo Yeung? posted by kata on September 14, 2000 at 17:06:57:

Chung Moo Doe

Leader:
John C. Kim, aka Chong Su Nim 'Iron' Kim
(currently incarcerated in federal prison camp)

Alternate Group Names:
Chung Moo Quan
Oom Yung Doe
8 Martial Arts for Health

The following information has been provided by former members of Chung Moo Doe:


Description of the Group:
This is a personality cult using a chain of martial arts schools as its 'front'. People, particularly men, are lured into the group thinking it's a martial arts school, and they're going to learn about self defense, getting in shape, etc. Instead, they're subjected to mind control techniques to essentially get them to worship Chung Moo's founder, John C. Kim. Exhorbitant lesson fees are charged, providing Kim and his people with large amounts of money. In 1996, Kim and several of his top people were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States of America.

Behaviors:
Students of Chung Moo were pressured to move in together, and keep the 'respect line' (the way we treated one another in school) the same on the outside as well as inside the school. People critical of Chung Moo, including parents, were to be shunned and kept in the dark about what really went on. Students, and particularly instructors from what I could see, were strongly urged to wear their hair and dress as John C. Kim did. Also, there was a general disapproval of dressing well among the students, as that meant you had money for clothes that could have gone towards John C. Kim.

Dietary restrictions weren't a big thing in my experience with the group, though eating hot soup and hot Korean food was encouraged during times of sickness, rather than consulting a physician.

Sleep was highly regulated in Chung Moo. On more than one occasion instructors urged students to sleep only a few hours a night, and boasted how little sleep they themselves needed. It was said that the Chung Moo forms (martial arts movements) could replace the human body's need for sleep.

Finances and money were a huge focus of Chung Moo, it's almost impossible to overstate the importance of money in the organization. Quite simply, past a certain point, you were expected to hand over all your extra money for Chung Moo lessons and teachings. Cash only, and it was disrespectful to ask for receipts, or copies of membership contracts.

Students were encouraged to spend all their free time either at the school or in the company of other Chung Moo members. Association with people not in the group was discouraged. Multiple jobs were often encouraged to help students pay the lesson fees, limiting their time even more.

Chung Moo required lots of an individual's time, not only with regular lessons, but special private lessons, black belt courses, etc. These were strenuous workouts followed by indoctrination sessions. Once, I recall we had to hold extremely strenuous body positions, zoning ourselves out to block out the pain, and the instructors turned out the lights and had us all count out loud in a droning, monotone voice, putting us into an altered state of consciousness.

It was unthought of for people to act on their own without consulting instructors. College was a decision that was frowned upon.

People definitely had to report what they were thinking and doing, and the activities of others, to the instructors. In one instance, I was forced to admit in front of fellow students that I was a virgin. Instructors constantly badgered people with questions about their personal lives, finances, etc., and it was easily obvious that choosing not to answer would result in ostracization or ejection from the group, or, if you were a longtime member, verbal harassment and even physical assaults.

You were praised and rewarded for bringing down more money to the school and for appearing to try hard. If the instructors perceived you weren't trying hard, or weren't bringing in enough money, you were subjected to humiliation and beatings.

People were not at all encouraged to think as individuals. School always had to come first. Whenever an individual thought was expressed, 'watch what you say' was the common response. Any semblance of 'talking back' to instructors was met with harshly.

Chung Moo had extremely rigid rules of conduct, when to bow, how to bow, how to act, how to speak, what to do. The rules and rituals overshadowed everything you did in a Chung Moo school, and often what you did outside.

Students were expected to be totally subservient to John C. Kim, even if they never actually met him (like myself--I never met Kim). We were supposed to bow to his picture, bring down more money for the school on Kim's birthday (said to be April 1st), and pay towards lessons to show respect to Kim. We were trained to be dependent upon the group, often indoctrinated that Chung Moo was the highest expression of what it could be to be a person in this life.
Information:
It was said Kim was the 'champion of all Asia', when no such title has ever existed. Claims were made about what Chung Moo could do (cure disease,etc.) that have never been backed up. Prices for the lessons weren't openly advertised. Forms and movements were held 'secret', only to be seen by those who'd paid the high lesson prices.

We were certainly kept quite busy, so we really didn't have time to think. With keeping members from anti-cult information, it really didn't come out about what Chung Moo really was until a couple of years after I'd left, so that really doesn't apply. However, we definitely were encouraged to look down on those who'd left the group.

Information was strictly controlled in the organization. Claims about Kim's near-supernatural abilities were never disclosed up front, only after a period of indoctrination. Instructors strictly controlled which students knew what about the organization and what it truly required. Students knew the least, instructors knew more, head instructors knew even more, and regional instructors knew more still. There was a near-worship for people above you, with the ultimate worship reserved for Kim.

Spying was encouraged. I was involved a few times in bringing to instructors' attention the fact that other students were deviating from Chung Moo principles. The doctrine, not personal relationships, mattered most.

Instructors encouraged certain students to 'pal around' with certain others. The 'blue literature', the standard Chung Moo pamphlet, was held nearly as important as a Bible to a Christian.

People definitely suffered after having confessed things to instructors. When an instructor asked something, you had no choice whether to refuse. Information said in private could be made public any time, and was. I was present when several students were embarrassed this way.

Thought:
An us-vs.-them mentality was indeed prevalent at Chung Moo. The outsiders were the 'goofy ones', where we really knew what was going on. You were either in Chung Moo or out of it, no in-between. People's relevancy was judged based on whether or not they had 'Chung Moo'.

Loaded language was perhaps the most startling aspect of Chung Moo to those not part of the group. Very strict speech patterns dominated, such as 'Be all right to ask yourself?' when asking a question to an instructor, 'more faster ways', when wanting something done quickly, 'more goofy ways' to describe a person's actions, etc.

No independent thoughts were encouraged, only thoughts towards Chung Moo and how you could better your life in it, mainly by bringing down more money.

Thought-stopping techniques such as meditation and deep breathing were used, also the Chung Moo-famous position-holding, where you held several positions, sometimes for minutes at a time. It hurt so much you zoned out, causing a halt of all critical thinking.

Critical opinions about John C. Kim were not only seen as illegitimate, but they could result in your being beaten if you voiced them.

Chung Moo had all the answers to life's questions. Nothing--not religion, not family--could take the place of having your life right in Chung Moo.

Emotional:
The rigidity present in the organization allowed for very little emotional expression. Even after an instructor hit you and you were in pain, you had to 'suck it up' and not show emotion.

Students were always at fault for what they did. A few times, I was beaten and badly hurt by instructors, who always justified their actions by saying to me that I wasn't trying hard enough, which is why they hurt me. They never admitted any mistakes.

Guilt was widely used in Chung Moo, particularly when comparing what we'd been through in our lives to supposedly what John C. Kim had been through in his. (There were claims Kim had lived in the mountains for seven years, living with animals, etc.)

The only thing that rivalled the importance of money in Chung Moo was the use of fear. You were in a state of low-grade terror nearly every moment you were in a school, thinking about whether this was the night an instructor would single you out to be hurt. This released adrenaline constantly into the blood, which produced something like a low-level stress disorder, further inhibiting your critical thinking.

Emotional highs and lows were very prevalent. Of course, outward display had to be controlled, but inwardly, when the instructors got down on you, you felt terrible, but to receive praise was like receiving a blessing directly from God.

Students, including myself, were regularly forced to confess 'sins' to the instructors and the rest of the class.

Chung Moo indoctrinated people into thinking their minds and bodies would essentially turn to mush if they ever left Chung Moo. We'd be lost in the forest with no guide.

Other Sources of Information:
'Chung Moo Quan: The Cult & The Con.'
Reported by Pam Zekman. WBBM-TV, Chicago. 1989.

Kahn, Ric. 'Chung Moonies? Critics Call Martial Arts Club a Cult of Violence and Greed.' Boston Phoenix, Oct. 25, 1991.

Vogel, Jennifer. 'Be True to Your School: The Dark Side of the Moo.' City Pages (Minn/St. Paul), Apr. 1, 1992.

Articles Related to Chung Moo Doe:

'The Continuing Controversy Surrounding Chung Moo,' 2/8/98

'Chung Moo Doe or Quan,' 12/30/97

'Cultist Mea Culpa The Real Truth Real Tai Chi Training: Are You Getting Your Money's Worth,' POWERLinesChicago Magazine, Nov 1997

'Man Sentenced in Tax Fraud Scheme Involving Martial Arts Schools,' The Naperville Sun, 8/31/97

'The Cult in the Quan, The Fall of a Martial Arts Magnate Parts I-II-III,' Martial Arts Pro, May 1997

'Martial Arts School Chief Found Guilty In Tax Scam,' Chicago Tribune, 12/10/96

'Martial Art Expert Tried To Kick Taxes,' Chicago Tribune, 9/10/96

'Chung Moo Doe is Chung Moo Quan, Kim's Arrest Report,' 12/26/95

'Chung Moo Doe is Chung Moo Quan, John C. Kim Alias Jack Park,' 12/26/95

'Martial Art School Faces Tax Fraud Charges,' Cult Awareness Network News, May 1995

'Interview, Pam Zekman,' Chicago Life, July/August 1992

'Fourth Amend Complaint agnst John C. Kim,' Ill Att Gen, 6/5/92

'Be True To Your School,' City PagesTwin Cities, MN, 4/1/92

'Advertisement - A Way To Find Happiness,' Daily Herald, 3/24/92

'Chung Moo - Advertisement,' Naperville Sun , 3/20/92

'Police Probe Possible Martial Arts School Link to Man's Death,' Cult Awareness Network News, 12/91

'Advertisement - Thank You Chung Moo Quan,' Misc. Yellow Page Ads Dallas, Houston,Tampa, 10/28/91

'Chung Moonies? Critics call Martial-Arts Club A Cult Of Violence and Greed,' The Boston Phoenix , 10/25/91

'Officials Probe Death,' 10/25/91

'Murder Probe Hits Martial Arts School,' Chicago Daily Herald, 10/12/91

'Martial Arts School Link to Body Found in Forest Probed,' Chicago Tribune, 10/12/91

'Police Seek Link Between Death, Martial Arts School,' Arlington Heights Daily Herald, 10/12/91
'Authorities Identify Body Found Last Week in Woods,' Arlington Heights Daily Herald, 10/11/91
'Martial Arts School's Top Brass Charged With Tax Fraud,' Arlington Heights (Chi) Daily Herald, 4/13/91

'Police Aid Feds in Karate School Probe,' Naperville Sun, 9/7/90

'Ad Raises Woman's Ire Over Martial Arts School,' The Lisle Sun, 1/18/90

'Cult Charges,' The Lisle Sun, 1/9/90

'Attorney General's Lawsuit Targets Martial Arts Business,' Daily Herald, 11/9/89

'Group to Monitor Karate Schools, Ex-members Speak,' Daily Herald, 12/10/89

'CBS News Transcripts of Video,' Nov. 2-7, 89

'CBS News Transcripts of Video,' Nov. 2-7, 89

'Sign on the Dotted Line,' Inside Karate, June 1988

Chung Moo Members Indicted
On April 11, 1995, the following Chung Moo people were indicted for
conspiracy to defraud the United States of America in violation of Title
18 U.S. Code, sec. 371:

John C. Kim, Thomas Martin Hnat, Thomas White, Kenneth Krisciunas, John
Liska, Frank Kucia, Joselito Jakosalem, Nicholas Gallo, Thomas McGee,
Sante Furio, Scott Gigliotti, Thomas Condon, Michael McKay, and Robert
Sawinski.

In late August/early September 1996, the following people plead guilty to
the charge: Hnat, Gallo, McGee, Furio, Gigliotti, and Condon.

On Dec. 9, 1996, Kim, Kucia, Jakosalem and McKay were convicted by a jury of the charge.

White and Sawinski's trials ended in hung juries, Russ Johnson has informed me that they have each since plead guilty.

John Liska, apparently very ill, was to be tried separately, I don't know what eventually became of him.

For more information/opinions regarding Oom Yung Doe, visit the TMAN Forum page at:
http://www.martial-arts-network.com/forum/forum_pg.htm


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