Cult leader sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexually assaulting followers

DAEJEON — Jeong Myeong-seok, the leader of the religious sect Christian Gospel Mission, better known as Jesus Morning Star or JMS, has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexually assaulting female followers.

The Daejeon District Court handed down the sentence on Monday on charges including quasi-rape, defined in Korean law as assault of someone unconscious or otherwise incapable of consenting or resisting. The court also ordered Jeong's personal information to be publicly disclosed for 10 years, barred him from working at institutions serving children, teenagers and people with disabilities for 10 years and ordered him to wear an electronic monitoring device for 15 years.

Kim Ji-seon, the group's second-in-command who was indicted for helping Jeong commit the sexual offenses, was sentenced to seven years in prison. The court also barred Kim from working at institutions serving children, teenagers and people with disabilities for 10 years and ordered her to complete 80 hours of a sex offender treatment program.

Two other JMS officials received one-year prison sentences, suspended for one and two years, respectively. Another was sentenced to three years in prison and taken into custody immediately after the ruling.

Jeong was indicted on charges of sexually assaulting or molesting 16 female followers on more than 80 occasions between 2018 and 2022 at the JMS training center in Jinsan-myeon of Geumsan County, South Chungcheong. Prosecutors accused him of indoctrinating the women into believing he was the "Messiah" and exploiting their inability to resist.

"As the leader of the religious group, Jeong repeatedly molested female followers by exploiting his near-divine authority over them," the court said. "The nature and methods of his crimes were particularly egregious, and severe punishment is inevitable given that he repeatedly committed the offenses by exploiting the religious power structure and influence he had established over many years."

Throughout the trial, Jeong denied touching the female followers and argued that they were not psychologically incapable of resisting.

Prosecutors, however, sought a 27-year prison sentence during the final hearing on Sept. 7.

"The charges are supported by the victims' consistent testimonies, corroborating witness statements and other evidence," prosecutors said. "As the leader of a religious group, he used its personnel and resources to indoctrinate young female followers."

Prosecutors added that he repeatedly committed offenses against women who were financially vulnerable and subjected them to secondary victimization by accusing them of making false allegations or claiming they were motivated by money.

Jeong is already serving a 17-year prison sentence for raping a Hong Kong follower known as Maple Yip and sexually molesting an Australian follower known as Amy and a Korean follower after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction in January of last year.

He previously served a 10-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting or molesting four female followers at locations including a resort in Malaysia, an apartment in Hong Kong and sites in China between August 2001 and April 2006. He was released from prison in February 2018.

After his release, further sexual offenses came to light through accounts shared by Yip, Amy and others. More victims subsequently filed complaints after the accounts were made public, leading to a separate trial that culminated in Monday's sentencing. Jeong was indicted in the latest case in May 2024, but the trial continued for more than two years as additional cases were consolidated into the proceedings.

"Two years have passed since the trial began, and some victims have waited four years for a ruling since filing complaints in 2022," Kim Do-hyung, a professor at Dankook University and an anticult activist who has been helping the victims, said. "The victims endured considerable suffering during the trial, including pressure from JMS followers to withdraw their complaints or reach settlements. It is a relief that a verdict has finally been delivered, even if belatedly."

In a separate civil case on Oct. 8, Jeong and JMS were ordered by the Daejeon District Court to jointly pay total of 370 million won ($278,000) and interest to Yip, Amy and the Korean follower in a damages lawsuit filed by three victims. The damages included 250 million won for Yip, 80 million won for Amy and 40 million won for the Korean follower, with interest payable on each amount.

BY SHIN JIN-HO [[email protected]]