Consumers boycott Synnara Record after links to cult revealed

K-pop consumers are boycotting local album seller Synnara Record after a Netflix documentary revealed that it was founded by Kim Gi-sun, the leader of a cult known as Agadongsan, or Baby Garden.

The connection between Kim and Synnara was highlighted during an episode of Netflix’s 8-part docuseries titled “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal”  released on March 3. The series sheds light on some of the most controversial religious cults that have existed, or still continue to exist, in Korea.

Founded in 1982, Synnara Record has a heavy presence in the K-pop industry as an offline music seller franchise based in Hongdae, western Seoul. It also runs an online store that ships to international K-pop fans and organizes multiple fan meet-and-greet events for K-pop artists and idols.

Synnara raked in large sums of cash during the 1980s and 90s when CDs and tapes were the staple means of listening to music. It had distribution deals with some of the biggest singers back then, giving it up to a 30 percent share of the record market volume as of 1996, according to the docuseries.

“Synnara may not be a familiar name to the younger K-pop consumers, but it was one of the biggest retailers in the 2000s when albums were actually bought in brick-and-mortar shops,” said an entertainment insider who wishes to remain anonymous.

Though allegations of the record store being founded by the leader of a religious cult have been circulating among K-pop fans in the past, a large-scale boycott was difficult due to its presence in the market. Younger K-pop consumers grew more used to the digital means of music consumption, unaware of the connection between Baby Garden and Synnara.

K-pop fans took online to express their anger after the release of the documentary. Tweets urging fans to not buy albums from KakaoTalk’s gifting service, which is allegedly distributed by Synnara, garnered over 30,000 retweets as of today. Tweets urging K-pop agencies to avoid Synnara Record are also gaining traffic, even without a trending hashtag.

Baby Garden filed for an injunction to ban the broadcast of “In the Name of God” on Monday, claiming episodes five and six of the documentary that discuss the group contain false information. The request also demanded Netflix pay the religious organization 10 million won ($7,600) every day in compensation if the broadcast is not suspended.

Another cult exposed by the documentary, the so-called Jesus Morning Star (JMS), also filed for an injunction against the Netflix documentary’s release before it came out but was dismissed by the court.

Celebrities linked to the JMS cult are also coming under fire.

Kyoungyoon of boy band DKZ was bombarded after a cafe run by Kyoungyoon’s parents was included in a long list of the names and addresses of businesses allegedly run by JMS followers circulated online.

While the K-pop star initially denied any knowledge of the cult, Kyoungyoon later admitted that he had been a JMS believer since birth because his parents were in an interview with local entertainment news outlet Dispatch released Monday.

“I have been a JMS believer since birth. I went to church holding my mother’s hand,” he said in the interview. “I’m glad I know what [kind of a] cult it is now. But I’m worried about my parents, especially my mother because she has been so faithful for over 20 years.”

The singer uploaded a hand-written letter of apology on a fan cafe Tuesday night following the interview.

“I am so sorry for the belated letter,” wrote the DKZ member. “I disappointed so many people with my immature reaction. My past utterances have brought more misunderstanding and I regret them so much that I wish I could turn back time.”

Actor Kang Ji-sub also admitted to having been a part of the cult in the past but claims he recently left.

Kang debuted in 2005 and has been active in the television scene, especially on TV dramas. His most recent work, “Vengeance of the Bride,” aired its last episode on Friday on channel KBS2.

“It’s true that I was a part of JMS, but I am not anymore,” he said in a phone call with local press agency Yonhap.

“It was around 1999 or 2000 when I was a university student, and [a JMS member] approached me asking me to study the Bible together. I followed them with a pure heart and I joined thinking that it was just an ordinary church.”

Both the singer and actor say they’ve quit JMS.

BY CHO YONG-JUN, YOON SO-YEON [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]