The leader of the religious sect Jesus Morning Star was sentenced to a further 33 years in jail after being found guilty of sexually assaulting and abusing female followers.
Jung Myung-seok, believed to be in his early 80s, is currently serving a 17-year sentence after being convicted of separate sexual assaults of followers.
Those assaults occurred after he was released from prison following a 2008 rape conviction.
In this latest case, Jung – who was featured in a Netflix documentary series In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal about four South Korean religious leaders accused of various crimes – was accused of sexually assaulting and abusing 16 female followers between 2018 and 2022 at the group’s training center in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province, and other locations.
The Daejeon District Court yesterday found Jung guilty of charges including quasi-rape, which applies when a victim is unable to resist, ruling that he repeatedly sexually abused female followers by exploiting his absolute authority as the group’s leader, whom members regarded as the second coming of Christ.
Prosecutors accused him of manipulating the victims into believing he was the “Messiah”, leaving them unable to resist his advances.
“The methods and nature of the offenses were particularly egregious,” the court said.
“The defendant repeatedly committed these crimes by exploiting a structure of religious control and influence established over many years, making severe punishment inevitable.”
Jung would serve the 33-year term after the earlier sentence, a Daejeon court official said.
He is already serving a 17-year prison sentence at Daejeon Prison after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction in January 2025 for raping a Hong Kong follower and sexually molesting an Australian follower and a Korean follower.
In a separate civil lawsuit earlier this month, a court also ruled in favour of the three women, ordering Jung to pay them a combined 370 million won (RM1.13mil) in damages.
Jung previously also served a 10-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting or molesting four female followers in their 20s at locations including a resort in Malaysia, an apartment in Hong Kong and accommodations in Anshan, China, between August 2001 and April 2006.
Jung founded the sect in the 1980s.
The religious group, widely described as a cult, has long faced criticism over its teachings and Jung’s influence over its followers.
An official at the sect’s mission office in South Chungcheong province did not have immediate comment on whether Jung would appeal the ruling.
Another sect official was sentenced to seven years in prison for abetting Jung’s actions, the official said. — Reuters/The Korea Herald/ANN
