Fiji
Tark argues the church shares many similarities with other South Korean cults. These include a belief in obedience of the religious leader, a group-specific interpretation of the Bible, and teaching of the imminent coming of Jesus Christ, with a provision of the place for the final shelter. The group was increasingly scrutinized by South Korea's Christian circles, and was in 2014 officially isolated as a heresy group.
According to the group's website, a missionary for the church was sent around the world to discover a land to survive the famine and, after scouting 60 countries, settled on Fiji. The group and its leader believe that Fiji is the so-called "center of the world as promised in the Bible" and moved there in 2014. After the members arrived in Fiji, all of the 400 followers' passports were allegedly seized. Mainstream churches in Fiji had reportedly accused the church of being a cult for years. A spokesman for the local Methodist Church told reporters, "I think it's common knowledge here that the movement is a cult movement ...."
Investigations, allegations of abuse and arrests
In 2014, a man with schizophrenia sued Shin for $6 million, alleging she supervised an attempt to cure his mental illness which involved bounding him with duct tape and depriving him of his medication for 10 days, ultimately causing him to lose his leg due to gangrene.
In 2018, footage emerged of the church's followers forcibly slapping each other, supposedly to "beat the Devil" out of each other. In a documentary aired in South Korea, testimony from ex-church members detailed allegations of physical abuse and overwork; Shin and other members would allegedly surround individuals and beat them. These public beatings are known as "ground thrashings". In July, Shin and two other members were arrested after arriving at Incheon Airport in Seoul. In August, South Korean police were reportedly investigating the church over allegations of unlawful imprisonment, assault, and exploitation of foreign currency. On 14 August, the church headquarters in Navua were raided by South Korean police, Fijian police, and the Fijian Department of Immigration. After the raid, followers of the church were offered consular assistance.
On 30 July 2019, Shin was found guilty and sentenced to six years' imprisonment. In 2020, upon appeal, Shin's prison term was increased to seven years on charges of joint injury, special assault, special confinement, fraud, child abuse, and abandonment and neglect of children.
In 2024, an escaped member alleged that they had suffered eight years of assault and forced labor. Additionally, the church was being investigated by Fijian authorities for interfering in the passport issuance of members' families and for legal violations by its affiliated businesses. On 6 December 2024, during an appeal, Shin faced strong protests from victims as she repeatedly claimed she did not use the "ground thrashing" beatings as a means of controlling church members.
During a January 2025 hearing for an appeal made by Shin and five other members, the court reduced Shin's sentence to four years and six months in prison. Another defendant, also surnamed Shin, had his sentence reduced from two years and six months to two years, while a defendant surnamed Kwon had his sentence reduced from three years and six months to one year and six months.
In December 2025, the US State Department alleged that the Grace Road Church was involved in human trafficking following the escape of at least four US citizens, including two children, from the sect. On 15 December, the US State Department threatened to downgrade Fiji to a "Tier 3" ranking, a move which would lead to a significant reduction in US aid to Fiji, unless the Fijian government took action against the Grace Road Church.
