Religious Group Files Lawsuit Against The Film "Svaha: The Sixth Finger"

The religious group Daejongism has filed a lawsuit against the production company for the movie “Svaha: The Sixth Finger.”

Daejongism is the name for a number of religious movements associated with Korean shamanism. Worship is centered around the legendary king Dangun and people who belong to this movement believe their religion to be the authentic Korean native religion. The main group was founded in Seoul in 1909 by Hongam Na Cheol.

On April 9, Daejongism released a press statement on behalf of all their affiliated religious groups that said, “Separately from the civil and criminal lawsuits that will be filed by the families of the deceased, we have filed a lawsuit for defamation against our religion at the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office today.”

Previously, the film was involved in a controversy when a photo of Hongam Na Cheol was photoshopped and replaced with the face of Kim Je Seok (played by Jung Dong Hwan), a fictional cult leader from the movie. Hongam Na Cheol, in addition to founding Daejongism, was an activist in the movement for Korean independence.

“Svaha: The Sixth Finger” is a mystery thriller about a pastor who works to expose suspicious religious groups and cults. According to the press release by Daejongism, they take issue with the fact that symbolic religious elements in the film are presented as if they are evil and that the pastor main character acts as if he is the only good force in the world compared to other religions. Daejongism also finds the title problematic because “svaha,” which means “accomplishment” in some religions, is represented as something that symbolizes evil.

The press release continued, “The production company, which should promote culture for the public’s sake, is infatuated with a particular religion [this is probably a reference to the main character of the film being a Christian pastor] and has intentionally insulted and defamed us and caused us anger, shame, and frustration.”

“Svaha: The Sixth Finger” was released earlier this year in February.

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