JMS leader Jeong Myeong-seok appeals 33-year sentence for sexual assault

Jeong Myeong-seok, the 81-year-old leader of the Christian Gospel Mission, a nonmainstream religious sect better known as Jesus Morning Star or JMS, has appealed a 33-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting 16 female followers, a ruling handed down while he was already serving a 17-year term for similar crimes.

Jeong's lawyer filed the appeal with the Daejeon District Court on Friday, according to legal sources.

He was indicted on charges of sexually assaulting or molesting 16 female followers from 2018 to 2022 at the group’s retreat center in Geumsan County, South Chungcheong, as well as other locations. Prosecutors said he brainwashed the women into believing he was the “Messiah,” leaving them unable to resist.

The district court sentenced Jeong to 33 years in prison last Monday, longer than the 27 years prosecutors had sought.

“The defendant repeatedly committed rape and indecent acts by exploiting the religious hierarchy, and satisfied his sexual desires by taking advantage of the victims’ psychological state, making the means and methods of the crimes extremely vicious,” the court said.

Jeong is already serving a 17-year sentence, upheld by the Supreme Court, for raping a Hong Kong follower known as Maple and molesting an Australian follower known as Amy and a Korean follower.

In Monday’s ruling, the court also sentenced Kim Ji-seon, aged 48, the group’s second-in-command, to seven years in prison for taking part in or assisting Jeong's sex crimes. Three other senior members received either three-year prison terms or suspended prison sentences, while one was acquitted.

BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]