‘In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal’: What Led to the Five Oceans Mass Suicide by Park Soon-ja?
Netflix’s In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal is not for the faint of heart, as the docuseries explores cult leaders who manipulated South Koreans and committed heinous acts, assaults, and even murders. South Korea not only has infamous stories like The Raincoat Killer but of Park Soon-ja. In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal breaks down the story of the female CEO who committed fraud and assault and led to the Five Oceans mass suicide.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal.]
The Five Oceans mass suicide included 32 dead bodies detailed in ‘In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal’
The Netflix docu-series begins at the horrifying end when Korean police discover a factory hidden in the mountains. In the spacious hidden roof of the facility, they find dead bodies on top of one another. On Aug. 29, 1987, 28 women and four men were found dead. It was a mass murder-suicide case, but police were left in utter shock over the circumstances of their deaths.
The bodies were on each other in two groups, feet and hands bound. The most bizarre aspect was their mouths stuffed with cotton balls. Among the dead was only one shirtless man who died by suicide.
The crime scene was like nothing authorities had ever seen before. They initially believed the cotton was laced with drugs. A further investigation revealed they were all asphyxiated through strangulation. Forensics conducted a routine exam of the female victims and discovered 12 of them with male fluid. The forensics team was left in shock as they assumed that the victims hid for three days. At some point, they engaged in intercourse in the presence of their sons and daughter.
Besides the horrendous details of the case, why was it so prevalent to authorities? In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal catalogs the story of Park Soon-ja, a cult leader and CEO of Five Oceans (Odaeyang), and the reason behind the mass suicide. The 31 dead bodies were people of her flock, including her children. Park Soon-ja was also one of the deceased. To this day, the case and the reason why it occurred remain a mystery.
Park Soon-ja was caught in fraud and money stealing
To understand the Five Oceans mass suicide case, In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal rewinds to the criminal events that took place up until that moment. Thirteen days before the crime case, Im Jeong-jae was a reporter who often worked on violent crime cases and was called to the police precinct. When he arrived, he saw young men being interrogated by police. Why? They were accused of assaulting creditors.
The spiral to the murders began when a gas station owner told the police about being assaulted by people at the Five Oceans company. He explained his daughter had taken a large sum of their money. She got involved with the company and gave them the money. When he and his wife went to ask for the money back, they were beaten and forced to sign a bond waiver. It is then that police began investigating the company.
Im returned to the station to formally meet Park, the CEO. When news cameras entered to film her, she fainted, and her son carried her away to a nearby hospital. She soon disappeared into thin air along with her followers. But what was the Five Oceans company? In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal explains it was a craft manufacturer company that also allowed its employees to live on-site and had a daycare system.
But it was all a front. In reality, Park created a cult that followed her every whim. Appearing as a kind saint, she convinced people to give her money to help the poor and those in need. But there was a catch. People willingly gave her money due to the high-interest rate that was always paid on time. The supposed “orphans” she cared for were the creditors’ children. She convinced them to leave their children in her care so they could work. Due to the heavy investigation into her debt, she took drastic measures.
‘In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal’ reveals there were discrepancies in the case
Park was more than a company CEO. She was a self-proclaimed prophet who was visited by God and told of the world’s end. The manipulation of her flock led them to follow her to death willingly. After the Five Oceans mass suicide discovery, In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal reveals that many forensic personnel were not convinced that Lee Gyeong-su was ordered to kill everyone else.
Lee was the factory manager where the bodies were discovered. Authorities ruled he killed the others before dying by suicide. But one of the lead forensic investigators thought otherwise. He claimed Lee’s neck showed a ligature mark around his neck entirely, suggesting strangulation. His hands also did not show signs of having killed the others.
They also found Park had blunt force trauma and found it odd she had died first. Forensics did not believe 31 people were killed in a cramped roof with weak plywood flooring. But the lead detective thought otherwise. He found evidence suggesting it was planned from the start.
Further investigation led to the discovery of Samwoo Trading Company working with Five Oceans. Investigators believed Yoo Byeong-un, the founder, used Five Oceans as money collectors. In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal theorizes that he may or may not have orchestrated the Five Oceans mass suicide as the victims were all high-ranking collectors.
In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal is available on Netflix.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
