Jung Myung-seok sentenced to 33 years for assaulting 16 JMS followers

Jung Myung-seok, the 81-year-old leader of the Christian Gospel Mission (JMS), has been sentenced to 33 years in prison by the Daejeon District Court for the sexual assault of 16 female followers. The court found that Jung exploited his absolute religious authority and a long-standing structure of spiritual domination to manipulate victims into a state of psychological helplessness between 2018 and 2022.

The sentence, which exceeds the 27-year term requested by prosecutors, also includes orders for public disclosure of his personal information, a 10-year restriction on employment at institutions involving children or the disabled, and 15 years of electronic monitoring. The court noted that the crimes were particularly egregious because Jung used his status as a self-proclaimed ‘Messiah’ to ensure absolute obedience.

This ruling is separate from a previous 17-year sentence Jung is currently serving for the sexual assault of followers from Hong Kong and Australia. Additionally, Kim Ji-sun, a high-ranking JMS official, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for her involvement in assisting Jung’s crimes. Other JMS officials also received various prison sentences for aiding in the exploitation or intimidation of victims.