South Korean Cult Leader Jung Myung-seok's Sex-Crime Sentence Raised to 33 Years on Appeal
An appeals court in South Korea on Oct. 19 raised the prison sentence of Jung Myung-seok, leader of the Christian Gospel Mission — widely known as JMS or Providence — to 33 years for sexually assaulting followers, up from 23 years at first trial, Yonhap News Agency and Reuters reported. Jung was convicted of sexually assaulting and molesting multiple female followers between 2018 and 2021, including foreign followers. Prosecutors said he exploited his religious status, leading followers to believe he was the Messiah, to commit the assaults. The first-instance ruling was handed down by the Daejeon District Court in 2024. The Daejeon High Court reportedly found the abuse of religious authority grave and took into account that he reoffended after a previous release. Jung had earlier served 10 years after a 2008 conviction for sexual assault and was released in 2018. Victims' accounts, aired in documentaries and media, drew wide public attention in South Korea. Jung denies the charges, and his lawyers said they would consider a further appeal to the Supreme Court.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：韩国大法院（资料图）。Seoul Institute 摄，CC BY 4.0，取自维基共享资源。Photo: Supreme Court of Korea, Seoul (file photo). By Seoul Institute, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
