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{{Short description|South Korean pastor}}
{{Western name order|Park Ock-soo}}
{{family name hatnote|Park||lang=Korean}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ock Soo Park
| image = Ock Soo Park, 2022.jpg
| native_name = 박옥수
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|6|2}}
| birth_place = [[Seonsan]], [[Korea under Japanese rule|Korea]]
| known_for = Founder and Senior Pastor of [[Good News Mission]]
| occupation = Pastor
| spouse = {{marriage|Myung Soon Kim|1971}}
| children = Yeong Kook Park (son)<br />Eun Sook Park (daughter)
| website = http://www.ocksoopark.com
}}
'''Ock Soo Park''' (born June 2, 1944) is a South Korean religious leader known for founding [[Good News Mission]], a [[new religious movement]] often described as a [[Salvation Sect]]. He has also founded other organizations, including the Gracias Choir and Orchestra and the International Youth Fellowship (IYF).

== Early life and founding Good News Ministry ==
Ock Soo Park was born in 1944 in [[Seonsan]], and attended a [[Presbyterian]] church in his youth. After studying under western missionaries in the 1960s, he founded the [[Good News Mission]] in 1972. Over the following years, Park grew the church globally. Around 1986, the church began to hold "grand bible seminars" and evangelize internationally. In 1995, he founded the International Youth Fellowship, a global youth leadership organization affiliated with Good News Mission.<ref name="guwonpa1" />

===Salvation Sect===
Professors David W. Kim and Won-il Bang describe Good News Mission as a Christian [[new religious movement]] and [[Salvation Sect]] because the group believes in "one-time [[Repentance in Christianity|repentance of sins]] in the theological concept of [[Justification (theology)|justification]]" while [[Sanctification in Christianity|sanctification]] is not required because all sins were forgiven during the [[crucifixion of Jesus]].<ref name="guwonpa1">{{cite journal|last1=Kim|first1=Dawid W.|last2=Bang|first2=Won-il|year=2019|title=Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History|journal=Religions|volume=10|issue=3|pages=212|doi=10.3390/rel10030212|doi-access=free|hdl=1885/204914|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
The [[Presbyterian Church of Korea]] argues Park's groups are [[heretical]] and classifies them as a Salvation Sect.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://new.pck.or.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=SM04_06&wr_id=17 |title=[Major Resolutions of the Heresy and Cult General Assembly] Kwon Shin-chan, Lee Yo-han, Park Ok-soo (Guwonpa)/77th Assembly - 1992 |access-date=20 June 2024 |date=5 November 2002 |publisher=The Presbyterian Church of Korea }}</ref>

Good News Mission denies being a Salvation Sect.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-06-02 |title=기쁜소식 선교회 "구원파 아니다!" |url=http://www.goodmorningcc.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=17633 |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=굿모닝충청 |language=ko}}</ref>

==Ministry expansion==
In 2000, Park founded the Gracias Choir, an orchestra and choral ensemble which travels with Park on his international tours.<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 11, 2017|title=25,000 fill Gocheok Dome to attend Gracias concert|work=[[The Korea Herald]]|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170711000876}}</ref>

The Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office imposed a fine of 5 million KRW by summary order on December 31, 2012, against Park for violating the Food Sanitation Act. He was accused of unlawfully profiting by promoting the product "Ttobyeol," manufactured by Woonhwa Co., Ltd., as a 'drug' capable of curing cancer and AIDS.<ref>{{cite news|last=Jung|first=Yoon Seok|title=구원파 박옥수 '식품위생법위반' 500만원 벌금|trans-title=Guwonpa's Park Ok-soo Fined 5 Million KRW for Food Sanitation Act Violation|url=https://www.kportalnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=12480|access-date=16 July 2024|newspaper=기독교포털뉴스|date=12 March 2013}}</ref>

In 2016 he was invited to preach a sermon at the "King's Prayer Meeting" in Swaziland (now [[Eswatini]]), which was broadcast by [[Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Service|the national radio station]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=IYF Founder Pastor Ok-Soo Park preaches at Swaziland National Event|url=https://m.news.naver.com/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=999&oid=044&aid=0000179918}}</ref>

On May 11, 2017, Park Ok-soo was fined 20 million KRW by the Seoul Central District Court for violating the National Land Planning and Utilization Act and the Building Act. The Seoul District Court ruled that Park illegally expanded a structure by installing one or two containers in March 2012 without obtaining the necessary permits from the relevant authorities. Additionally, he was found guilty of violating the Building Act by converting the fourth floor of a church building for office use in January 2015. Consequently, a fine of 20 million KRW was imposed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Jung|first=Yoon Seok|title=기쁜소식강남교회 박옥수 씨, 2천만원 벌금형|trans-title=Park Ok-soo of Good News Gangnam Church Fined 20 Million KRW|url=https://www.kportalnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=13872|access-date=16 July 2024|newspaper=기독교포털뉴스|date=22 May 2017}}</ref> In July 2017, a separate fraud/scam case against Park and the Good News Mission ended in an acquittal by [[Supreme Court of Korea]]. The charge was that Park had sold stock fraudulently to church members and "raked in unlawful profits", but the Supreme Court held that "it is hard to regard Park as an accomplice".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170713000861 |newspaper=[[The Korea Herald]] |access-date=August 28, 2020 |date=July 13, 2017 |title=Pastor Park acquitted of stock fraud charges |last=Kim |first=Yon-se}}</ref>

In 2024, Park met with the Chairman of the [[Kiowa Tribe]] Lawrence SpottedBird in South Korea. In 2025, the Kiowa Tribe's chairman and vice chairman served on the board of the Indigenous Leaders of North America, a nonprofit Park founded.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Loveless |first1=Tristan |title=Toilets, t-shirts and tribal finances: Kiowa Legislature moves to impeach Chairman Lawrence SpottedBird |url=https://nondoc.com/2026/02/25/toilets-t-shirts-and-tribal-finances-kiowa-legislature-moves-to-impeach-chairman-lawrence-spottedbird/ |access-date=February 25, 2026 |work=NonDoc |date=February 25, 2026}}</ref>

==Daughter's conviction==
On May 15, 2024, a high school girl was rushed to a hospital by emergency services in [[Incheon]] after she collapsed with bruises and bindings on both wrists. She died four hours later and the [[National Forensic Service]] later announced her cause of death was [[pulmonary embolism]] and abuse leading up to her death was suspected. It was later revealed the girl was affiliated with Gracias Choir and had been living with the [[Good News Mission]] in the three months prior to her death.<ref>{{cite news|last=Jo|first=Min Gi|title=기쁜소식선교회 박옥수 딸 '박은숙' 아동학대 혐의로 경찰 구속|trans-title=Park Eun-sook, Daughter of Good News Mission Leader Park Ok-soo, Arrested by Police on Child Abuse Charges|url=http://www.hdjongkyo.co.kr/m/content/view.html?section=22&category=1007&no=19999|access-date=3 July 2024|newspaper=현대종교|date=1 July 2024}}</ref> During her time living with the group she was subject to constant monitoring, forced to copy the [[Bible]], and forced to repeated climb stairs.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kim|first=Jung Soo|title=기쁜소식인천교회 사망 여고생, 5일 잠 못 자는 등 가혹행위 당해|trans-title=High School Girl from Good News Incheon Church Dies After Enduring Five Days of Sleep Deprivation and Severe Mistreatment|url=http://www.hdjongkyo.co.kr/news/view.html?section=22&category=1007&no=20019|access-date=27 August 2024|newspaper=Modern Religion Monthly|date=25 July 2024}}</ref>

In June 2024, the [[Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea#Organization|District Prosecutors' Office of Incheon]] charged Park's daughter, Eun-sook Park, for child abuse resulting in murder. Prosecutors alleged the girl died from being confined for a long period, tied up, and abused. The tight bindings caused [[blood clots]] and Park delayed taking her to a hospital.<ref>{{cite news|last=Jo|first=Min Gi|title=그라시아스합창단 단장 박은숙 아동학대살해 혐의로 구속 기소|trans-title=Gracias Choir Director Park Eun-sook Indicted and Arrested for Child Abuse Murder|url=http://www.hdjk.co.kr/news/view.html?section=22&category=1007&item=&no=19992|access-date=3 July 2024|newspaper=Modern Religion Monthly|date=27 June 2024}}</ref> In December 2024, Park was sentenced to 4 and a half years in prison.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kim|first=Jung Soo|title=기쁜소식인천교회 사망 여고생, 5일 잠 못 자는 등 가혹행위 당해|trans-title=High School Girl from Good News Incheon Church Dies After Enduring Five Days of Sleep Deprivation and Severe Mistreatment|url=http://www.hdjongkyo.co.kr/news/view.html?section=22&category=1007&no=20019|access-date=27 August 2024|newspaper=Modern Religion Monthly|date=25 July 2024}}</ref> At a second trial in September 2025, Park Eun-sook was sentenced to 25 years in prison for child abuse resulting in death. In January 2026, the [[Supreme Court of Korea]] upheld her conviction from the second trial.<ref>{{cite news |author1=이나라 기자 |title=인천 교회 여고생 학대 사망, 대법 ‘아동학대살해’ 확정…상고기각 결정 |url=https://www.incheonilbo.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=1315876 |access-date=February 21, 2026 |work=incheonilbo.com |date=January 29, 2026 |language=korean |trans-title=The Supreme Court upholds the death of a high school student at an Incheon church as "child abuse and murder," and dismisses the appeal.}}</ref>

==Acquisition of Gimcheon University==
Gimcheon University, facing closure after receiving an E grade in the 2016 evaluation and experiencing significant management difficulties, including unpaid staff salaries and a shortfall in student admissions, transferred its management rights to the Good News Mission in 2021. The agreement included inheriting the Christian founding philosophy, job succession, 20 billion KRW in financial support, salary restoration, and management participation until the university is stabilized. Gimcheon University has not officially commented on the transfer to the Good News Mission, which is deemed a cult by the Korean church. The Gimcheon City Christian Council and local churches plan to raise awareness among residents about the cult's risks and the potential harm to the local image.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kim|first=Tae Hyun|title=기독교대학 김천대, 박옥수 구원파에 넘어가…충격|trans-title=Christian University Gimcheon Falls to Park Ok-soo's Guwonpa: Shocking Development|url=https://www.kdknews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=2857|access-date=16 July 2024|newspaper=kdknews.com|date=11 June 2024}}</ref>

On April 29, 2024, Gimcheon University amended its academic regulations to establish a "Department of Theology" for the 2025 academic year, aimed at training pastors from the Guwonpa (Salvation Sect). The university also has a Department of Theology in its graduate program to prepare pastors and theologians. Chairman Park Ok-soo announced at a press conference that the university plans to recruit over 500 foreign students annually through its missionary countries and provide financial support amounting to 20 billion KRW.<ref>{{cite news|last=Oh|first=Myung Ock|title=세칭 구원파대학교 '김천대'... 학칙개정해 '신학과' 신설|trans-title=So-Called Guwonpa University 'Gimcheon University' Establishes New 'Department of Theology' After Amending Regulations|url=http://www.churchheresy.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=1460|access-date=20 August 2024|newspaper=Church and Heresy|date=19 August 2024}}</ref>

== Books ==
Park has published a number of books, through his publishing house Good News Publishing, or using self-publishing companies such as [[Kindle Direct Publishing]] and [[Tate Publishing & Enterprises]]. Titles include

* ''The Secret of Forgiveness of Sin and Being Born Again'' (1997), {{isbn|9788985422369}}
* ''Out from despair'' (2004), {{isbn|9788985422758}}
* ''Repentance and Faith'' (2005), {{isbn|9788985422826}}
* ''Cain and Abel: The Secret of Forgiveness of Sin and Being Born Again'' (2005), {{asin|B006K4BEZA}}
* ''Notes on Genesis 1'' (2008), {{isbn|9788985422963}}
* ''Notes on Genesis 2'' (2008), {{isbn|9788985422956}}
* ''Navigating the Heart: Who Is Dragging You'' (2013), {{isbn|9781628543230}}
* ''Standing on the field of the heart'' (2018), {{asin|B07K7NX3KP}}
* ''How I Became Free from Sin'' (2018), {{asin|B07MR2M9LV}}
* ''Lectures on Offerings of Leviticus - A Four-Book Set'' (2019), {{isbn| 9788964430330}}
* ''It Is God That Justifieth'' (2020), {{asin|B08DDG9LMB}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Ock Soo}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Gumi, North Gyeongsang]]
[[Category:South Korean religious leaders]]

Ock Soo Park - Revision history

imported>TulsaPoliticsFan: Undid revision 1340693959 by Publica5927 (talk)