Baekbaekgyo

The movement first started as an offshoot of the religion Baekdokyo (백도교; 白道敎), itself an offshoot of Cheondoism. Baekdokyo was founded in 1899, with its official organization in 1912 and was led by leader Jeon Jeong-ye, an individual who claimed to have received a revelation on Mount Kumgang.^[1] Baekdogyo, despite its proselytization projects, was mostly run as a secret organization. It amassed 10,000 followers. After Jeon died in 1919, his second son Jeon Yong-hae and a high priest of the religion at the time named Wookwang Hyun secretly buried a body without telling the believers of the religion. A police investigation regarding the religion surrounding the case of victims of the religion led to the reveal of the secret burial, and Baekdogyo began to decline, and Leehuiryong, another high-level leader of the religion, decided to make a branch called Incheondo (人天道) in 1923. This led to Woo taking the remaining sect of the Baekdogyo and relaunching the religion as Baekbaekgyo in 1923.^[2]

The movement believed in an apocalyptic theology and that chanting the mantras of Baekbaekbaekuiuiuijeokjeokjeokgameunggamgameunghasiopsungseong (백백백의의의적적적감응감감응하시옵숭성; 白白白衣衣衣赤赤赤感應感感應하시옵崇誠) would lead to a long, healthy life. The movement requested its believers to dedicate their wealth to the religion, and send their daughters as servants for the founder.^[3]