In February 2010, Rolling Stone revealed an article headlined “The Yoga Cult: How a Korean guru has created a fanatical following on school campuses that’s half Moonies, half New Age boot camp, and pure revenue.” The article outlined what Amy Shipley skilled at Dahn Yoga, the American enlargement of the South Korean Dahn World franchise.
And it’s at Dahn World the place the present storm of conspiracies begins, connecting HYBE and CEO Bang Si Hyuk to the “cult” in query.
While Dahn World founder Ilchi Lee (born Lee Seung Heun) may disagree, dubbing himself “an writer and educator who helps folks use the total potential of the mind” on his web site, the Rolling Stone article launched Lee as a cult chief and a traditional “charismatic con man.”
“Like most cult leaders, Lee’s story follows the traditional line of the charismatic con man. As a toddler in South Korea, Lee’s grades have been a disappointment to his father, a schoolteacher; the boy’s thoughts was so scattered, he may scarcely take note of his classes. But Lee step by step discovered that shifting his physique helped him to focus. He threw himself into martial arts and excelled. He made it via faculty, married and took a job as a lab technician. But by age 28, Lee felt unfulfilled. In his personal retelling, he hiked to the highest of Moak Mountain in 1980 and meditated for 21 days, neither consuming nor sleeping, till he was hit with the revelation that he was composed of cosmic power, power with no starting and no finish. This was his second of enlightenment. Lee descended the mount to unfold the great phrase.
He modified his identify to Ilchi, or one who’s “pointing the way in which,” and taught mind-body workouts in a park, step by step growing a following. In 1985, he opened his first Dahn heart in Seoul. From there, Lee moved at a relentless tempo, touring Korea and opening facilities throughout the nation. Left behind have been his spouse and two younger sons. Lee wasn’t frightened, he advised followers, since he had requested the heavens to take care of them: “From that second onward, I forgot my household and targeted solely on ‘imaginative and prescient.’” His single-mindedness was astonishing. Once, as Lee was leaving for Korea’s Jeju Island — a tropical trip spot — he obtained phrase that his youthful son had been in a automobile crash. “If he was meant to dwell, he’ll, and if he was meant to die, he’ll,” Lee stated. Then he hung up and obtained on the airplane. (The boy, apparently, was meant to dwell.) Lee anticipated the identical degree of dedication from his members; former followers say that as a part of the usual ceremony to be elevated to Dahn masters, they have been required to recite a pledge vowing to die for Ilchi Lee if obligatory.”
— Sabrina Rubin Erdely, Rolling Stone
In addition to Dahn World, Lee based the South Korean Global Cyber University (GCU). In October 2009, the varsity was accredited by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The following March of 2010, Lee appointed himself the chancellor (or “president” as he referred to himself in his tweets) as the varsity opened its doorways to college students.
Last week, as president of the Global Cyber University, I signed a MOU with Tarlac State University within the #Philippines to create a #BrainEducation program. By working towards Brain Education, I hope we are going to turn into more healthy, happier, and extra peaceable…a brand new humanity. #earthcitizen pic.twitter.com/C6rhKP0m15
— Ilchi Lee (@IlchiLee) May 16, 2023
On GCU’s official web site, BTS is talked about—although in incomplete and grammatically incorrect sentences.
The first hypothesis of HYBE’s involvement with Dahn World stems from the truth that six out of seven members of BTS attended GCU. Korean areas of Dahn World facilities had no hesitation utilizing BTS’s identify in promotion of their applications—although some weblog posts and different traces have since been getting deleted.
It is, nonetheless, essential to notice that an considerable quantity of Ok-Pop idols additionally attend and/or have graduated from GCU. GCU’s easy admission course of and digital diploma completion entice idols who don’t have the identical capacities as common school college students do. Also, school enrollment aids in suspending enlistment—additionally attracting male idols and different male celebrities in Korea.
That stated, Lee (and Dahn World)’s teachings have come underneath shut investigation of Koreans who nonetheless really feel the ties run too deep to name coincidental.
The precise theology that members have been required to unfold was a bit shaky. For some time, Lee promised followers that after that they had harnessed sufficient power via one thing known as “mind respiration,” they’d fly to an “enlightenment star” aboard a spaceship formed like a golden turtle. (He ran a brisk enterprise promoting $4,000 golden turtle statues meant to harness cosmic power.) Later on, he spoke of the necessity to recruit 100 million “new people,” at which level this vital mass of Dahn followers would one way or the other create world peace. After that, he started preaching the therapeutic powers of “mind wave vibration” and of smiling the “HSP (well being, smile, peace) smile.” But ultimately, theology didn’t matter; what mattered was that everybody felt united for a better function — and that they have been saved too busy to assume it via. In that regard, Lee reportedly had assist from Hwa Young Moon, a Korean lady who joined Dahn within the late Nineteen Eighties and whipped it into form; she knew an excellent deal in regards to the enlightenment commerce, having grown up within the “Moonies,” the Unification Church.
— Sabrina Rubin Erdely, Rolling Stone
A weblog put up from April 2021, titled “Please Save TXT From A Cult,” accused HYBE of cult affiliation…
Their cult period started at Global Cyber University.
— @kaiismyson/Postype
…for dressing two GCU-attending members in a hanbok with a three-legged crow decoration.
According to the weblog put up, the three-legged crow decoration signifies Dahn World as a result of, in 2010, Lee “ran a brisk enterprise” of promoting qi (power) channeling ornaments. And one of many ornaments have been within the form of the three-legged crow.
The weblog put up alleged that by “dressing the 2 GCU-attending members within the three-legged crow hanboks,” HYBE was placing out subliminal messages favoring Dahn World through its idols.
Would dressing the 2 Dahn World-based GCU-attending members within the three-legged crow hanboks make us uncomfortable or not? Damn Dahn World- Wait, no. Damn you, HYBE f*ckers!
— Blog Post
The three-legged crow, although, isn’t unique to Dahn World. It is a mythological creature current in East Asian cultures—and, subsequently, not out of the atypical to be embroidered on a hanbok.
In Korean mythology, it is called ‘Samjok-o’ (actually three-legged crow). During the Goguryeo interval, the traditional Korean folks thought the Samjok-o to be a logo of the solar and of nice energy, typically representing the ‘Taewang’ (emperor) and Goguryeo’s sovereignty. It was additionally believed that the three-legged crow lived within the solar whereas a toad lived within the moon. The Samjok-o is such a extremely revered image of energy, even superior to each the dragon and the Korean bonghwang, that it carried into Silla, Goryeo, Joseon, and fashionable Korea.
— Wikipedia
In addition to the three-legged crow, one other mythological creature has been offered as proof of HYBE’s involvement with Lee’s cult.
A mega-viral tweet, with over 51M views and counting, drew connections between GFRIEND‘s November 2020 album, 回:Walpurgis Night, in addition to its title observe, “MAGO,” and Dahn World.
According to the tweet’s theories, HYBE deliberately named GFRIEND’s closing album after the Christian feast tied to witchcraft.
“Walpurgis Night, an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German Sankt-Walpurgisnacht), also referred to as Saint Walpurga’s Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga’s Eve), is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an Eighth-century abbess in Francia, and is widely known on the evening of 30 April and the day of 1 May. This feast commemorates the canonization of Saint Walpurga and the motion of her relics to Eichstätt, each of which occurred on 1 May 870.
Saint Walpurga was hailed by the Christians of Germany for battling ‘pest, rabies, and whooping cough, in addition to towards witchcraft.’ Christians prayed to God via the intercession of Saint Walpurga with a purpose to shield themselves from witchcraft, as Saint Walpurga was profitable in changing the native populace to Christianity. In components of Europe, folks proceed to mild bonfires on Saint Walpurga’s Eve with a purpose to keep off evil spirits and witches.”
— Wikipedia
Then, the tweet alleged that GFRIEND “disbanded” on May 1, after “Walpurgis Night” of April 30, because the “witches burned.” The tweet then went on to invest that LE SSERAFIM debuted on May 2—although a yr aside—because the (le) “Seraphim” or the high-ranking red-winged angels.
하이브 관련 존나 무서운 이야기 나옴
여자친구 앨범 이름 = 발푸르기스의 밤
발푸르기스의 밤 = 마녀를 불태우는 날
여자친구 해체일 5월 1일
르세라핌 데뷔 5월 2일
마녀를 태우고(해체) 다음날 세라핌(천사)가 데뷔함
– 1년 간격은 있지만 이해편의상 말한거임그리고 민희진 주주총회 4월 30일 pic.twitter.com/wSXaFM5t9s
— 길티아카이브 (@guiltyarchive) April 27, 2024
GFRIEND’s contract termination was reported May 17, 2021.
GFRIEND Will Reportedly Disband As They Fail To Agree On Contract Renewals
The tie to Dahn World is claimed to return from the title observe, “MAGO.” The theories claimed that Mago is the “god” that Lee’s cult “worships.”
But Lee will not be the one who created Mago. Mago is a “creatrix,” a goddess that frequents Korean creation folklore. The identical goddess seems in IU‘s Ok-Drama, Hotel Del Luna, too—that means Mago’s existence isn’t essentially a direct relation to Dahn World.
Mago is a goddess who seems in Korean creation myths. She is called the Great Goddess, a creatrix, and ruler of the primary age of Korean historical past, the Age of Mago.
— Study.com
However, Lee did erect the Mago “Mother Earth” statue in Sedona, Arizona the place he additionally based the “Mago Earth Park.”
The statue, first made public in December 2010, was later dismantled, however Lee continued to base a variety of his actions out of the world the place the “power vortexes” function its most important vacationer attraction.
Sedona vortexes (the right grammatical type ‘vortices’ is never used) are considered swirling facilities of power which can be conducive to therapeutic, meditation and self-exploration. These are locations the place the earth appears particularly alive with power. Many folks really feel impressed, recharged or uplifted after visiting a vortex.
— Go toSedona.com
Speaking of songs being mentioned as a part of HYBE’s Dahn World agenda, BTS’s “Attack on Bangtan,” too, has come into highlight—because of an previous on-line put up resurfacing linking the tune to Lee’s cult.
The unique poster (OP) of the 2021 put up recalled the time they have been in elementary faculty, underneath the care of a instructor following the Dahn World cult. They claimed that the instructor would make the scholars repeat a phrase that they later discovered quoted word-per-word within the tune.
OP: When I used to be in elementary faculty, I had a instructor who was into the Dahn World cult. So I had a very tough yr. That stated, once I first grew to become an ARMY and heard the tune, “Attack on Bangtan,” it gave me PTSD.
Every morning, the instructor would make us stand on our desks, barefoot, and do some respiration workouts. And she would at all times inform us to “tighten our stomachs.” I used to be shocked out of my thoughts once I heard the precise phrase as a part of the lyrics to “Attack on Bangtan.” For over a decade, I’ve by no means heard anyone else say that. But then to listen to it in a tune?!
Comment: What a part of the lyrics?
OP: “Tighten your stomachs and take! A! Deep! Breath!”
Comment: Oh, sh*t.
Comment: What the f*ck?!
ILLIT‘s “Magnetic” has additionally raised questions.
While, at first, the rookie lady group’s debut observe, “Magnetic,” sounds innocent, it has been purported to be based mostly on one in every of Lee’s revealed works. Claiming to spice up meditation and psychological well being, Lee’s 2013 ebook is titled Magnetic Meditation…
…and native Dahn World facilities in Korea have been energetic in selling utilizing magnets to meditate, the Ilchi Lee means.
Come to Jongam department Dahn World Meditation Center to study Magnetic Meditation!
— Dahn World Blog
The TikTok-famous dance for “Magnetic,” utilizing uncommon hand and finger actions, has additionally been linked to the cult.
A screenshot of a Google search consequence for “Dahn World Finger Exercises” has been circulating, drawing similarities between ILLIT’s choreography and the cult’s “dementia prevention” methodology.
And, amid all that has unexpectedly gone down between HYBE and ADOR‘s CEO Min Hee Jin, these cult conspiracies are—no matter their factuality—placing Ok-Pop followers as “simply too creepy.”
when hybe media performed mhj’s shaman convo just for knetz to out hybe as a cultist is the funniest shit on this whole mess.
— PoppyKPoppie (@PoppyKPoppie) April 28, 2024
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Source: www.koreaboo.com