S. Korean religious sect leader sentenced to 23 years in prison over sex crimes

A TV screen shows a file image of South Korean religious sect leader Jung Myung-seok during a news programme at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul on Dec 22, 2023. - AP

SEOUL: A South Korean religious sect leader whose sex crimes were featured in the popular Netflix series "In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal” earlier this year was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Friday (Dec 22), court officials said.

The Daejeon District Court in central South Korea said that it handed the prison term to Jeong Myeong-seok after convicting him of sexual violence against three of his female followers from 2018-2021.