Member-only story
The Mysterious Death of Korea’s Most Wanted Fugitive
The demise of the cult leader, photographer and millionaire businessman Yoo Byung-eun raised as many questions as did his life.
Early Life
Yoo Byung-eun was born in 1941 in Kyoto, Japan during the Japanese Occupation of Korea. He later returned to South Korea at the end of the Second World War. In his biography on his website, he described himself as “an inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, environmental activist, martial artist, painter, sculptor, poet, and photographer.” He was a photographer under the pseudonym “Ahae”, which is Korean for baby.
His photography exhibition titled “Through My Window” was on display at many famous locations around the world such as Grand Central Terminal in New York City, Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, Magazzini del Sale, Venice and Tuileries Garden in Paris. [1][2]
Salvation Sect
The Evangelical Baptist Church also known as the Salvation Sect was created by Yoo and his father-in-law, Pastor Kwon Shin-chan, in 1962. The group was later defined as a cult by the conservative Christian denomination, the General Assembly of Presbyterian Churches, in 1992.
