How Did Grace Road Gain Power Across Fiji?

TL;DR

Grace Road gained influence in Fiji by entering as a foreign investor, building farms and consumer businesses, employing local workers, completing construction projects, and cultivating relationships with senior government figures. Behind that expansion, former members and investigators described alleged passport confiscation, excessive work, poor living conditions, physical punishment, government pressure on journalists, and resistance to outside scrutiny.

Transcript

Fiji is a paradise in the South Pacific. Unfortunately, the country has been infiltrated by a doomsday cult, Grace Road. They ruled their members with an iron fist while entangling international authorities in a year'slong game of cat and mouse. Unhindered, the cult built a vast business empire stretching across the island, warmly embraced by the l... Read More

Key Insights

• Grace Road is a religious group founded by Shin Ok-ju in Seoul in 2008. Shin preached that Jesus would return after a coming catastrophe and that followers needed to relocate to a promised land capable of surviving famine and nuclear fallout.
• Fiji became Grace Road's promised land after Shin's son Daniel Kim assessed the country in 2014. He sought a place without winter and with temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius, then interpreted becoming stuck in Fiji as a sign from God.
• Grace Road entered Fiji primarily as a foreign investor rather than presenting itself first as a church. Its initial agricultural operation covered 3.8 hectares, where members grew rice and vegetables in accordance with the group's stated mission of preparing for a global food crisis.
• Grace Road's business empire expanded from farming into restaurants, supermarkets, hardware stores, construction, dentistry, footwear, and beauty services. Its restaurant brands included Grace Road Kitchen, Noodle Story, Sunny Pizza, Awesome Grill, Fierce Chicken, Snowy House, and Patisserie Pacifica.
• Grace Road developed close connections with prominent Fijian officials through awards, public appearances, and government-related construction. The group helped rebuild a village after Cyclone Winston in 2016 and later refurbished and extended Prime Minister Bainimarama's house at an alleged taxpayer cost of around $3 million.
• Grace Road members allegedly experienced confiscated passports, excessive workloads, inadequate food and housing, and physical punishment. One account describes discovering that a passport was missing, panicking, and screaming for help, while broader allegations portrayed working conditions beyond normal labor practices.
• Shin Ok-ju had attracted scrutiny in South Korea before relocating to Fiji. The Presbyterian Church declared her a heretic in September 2014 after investigating her teachings and conduct, including an incident in which a restrained schizophrenic man suffered circulation failure and later lost a leg.
• Independent scrutiny of Grace Road faced significant resistance in Fiji. Potential sources cited confidentiality, the organization declined to speak with investigators, and authorities sought cancellation of the production company's permits, contributing to concerns about press freedom and the group's political influence.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Grace Road gain influence across Fiji?

Grace Road gained influence by entering Fiji as a foreign investor and rapidly creating businesses that became visible in everyday life. Starting with a 3.8-hectare farm in 2014, it expanded into restaurants, supermarkets, construction, hardware, dentistry, footwear, and beauty services. It employed more than 100 Fijian locals, completed reconstruction work, received a business award, and developed relationships with senior government figures.

Q: Why did Grace Road relocate its followers to Fiji?

Grace Road relocated followers because leader Shin Ok-ju taught that humanity would face famine, nuclear fallout, and the end of days. Her son Daniel Kim searched for a promised land with no winter and steady temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. After becoming unexpectedly stuck in Fiji during his travels, he interpreted the event as a divine sign, and hundreds of members subsequently moved there.

Q: What businesses did Grace Road establish in Fiji?

Grace Road began with a farm growing rice and vegetables, then developed a diverse commercial network. Its operations included Grace Road Kitchen, Noodle Story, Sunny Pizza, Awesome Grill, Fierce Chicken, Snowy House, and Patisserie Pacifica. The group also opened supermarkets, hardware stores, a dental clinic, shoe stores, beauty salons, and a construction company serving its own operations, private clients, and the Fijian government.

Q: What treatment of Grace Road members was alleged?

Allegations described members being fed and housed improperly, working far beyond normal labor practices, and receiving physical punishment. One person recalled realizing that her passport was gone, panicking, and screaming for help. These accounts suggest that members could face restrictions on their freedom alongside demanding labor conditions, although the transcript presents these descriptions as allegations and personal testimony rather than adjudicated findings.

Q: What was Grace Road's relationship with Fiji's government?

Grace Road cultivated ties with Fiji's government through commercial activity, public recognition, and construction work. The group helped rebuild a village after Cyclone Winston in 2016, refurbished and extended Prime Minister Bainimarama's house at an alleged taxpayer cost of around $3 million, and received a business award presented by Bainimarama. Investigators also reported official pressure to cancel their production permits while examining the group.

Q: Why had Shin Ok-ju faced scrutiny in South Korea?

Shin Ok-ju faced scrutiny because South Korea's Presbyterian Church investigated her teachings and gathered evidence of dangerous conduct. One cited incident involved ordering followers to bind a schizophrenic man with duct tape, after which circulation failure led to the amputation of his leg. The denomination declared Shin a heretic in September 2014, and South Korean media and police later placed greater attention on her movement.

Q: How did Grace Road respond to criticism and investigation?

Grace Road did not speak with the visiting investigators despite the serious questions being raised. People familiar with the organization were also reluctant to comment, sometimes citing confidential conversations. Before Grace Road had formally engaged with the investigation, efforts were made to have the production company's permits cancelled. The investigators interpreted that combination of silence, secrecy, and official pressure as a significant warning sign.

Q: How did Grace Road combine religious beliefs with business expansion?

Grace Road connected its commercial activity to Shin Ok-ju's prophecy about an approaching global catastrophe. Farming rice and vegetables supported the stated goal of surviving famine and feeding people during hardship. The organization then expanded far beyond agriculture, building restaurants, shops, service companies, and construction operations. That network generated employment, public visibility, government contacts, and institutional influence while Korean followers supplied much of its workforce.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Grace Road began in Seoul in 2008 under Shin Ok-ju, who taught that Jesus would return after humanity endured catastrophic famine and nuclear fallout. Her followers were told that survival required relocating to a promised land, establishing large farms, and preparing to feed people during the anticipated global crisis.

• Shin's son Daniel Kim searched for a warm location without winter and settled on Fiji in 2014, interpreting an unexpected delay there as a divine sign. Hundreds of church members followed. Grace Road entered Fiji as a foreign investor, established a farm, and rapidly expanded into restaurants, construction, retail, healthcare, and personal services.

• Grace Road earned public recognition, employed Fijians, completed reconstruction work, and secured government-linked construction projects while allegations of coercion and exploitation emerged. Investigators described confiscated passports, excessive labor, inadequate food and housing, and physical punishment. Journalists also encountered secrecy and attempts to cancel filming permits before the group had formally answered their questions.