Person

Jeong Myeong-seok

1. South Korea's JMS cult leader Jeong Myeong-seok sentenced to 33 years for sexually assaulting 16 more followers

   The Daejeon District Court on Oct 19 sentenced Jeong Myeong-seok, 81, leader of the Christian Gospel Mission (JMS), to 33 years in prison on charges including quasi-rape for sexually assaulting 16 female followers between 2018 and 2022 at sites including the Wolmyeong-dong retreat in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province. The court found he used his status to brainwash followers into believing he was the messiah so they could not resist, and ordered disclosure of his personal information, a 10-year ban from working at institutions for children, adolescents and people with disabilities, and 15 years of electronic tagging. The case is separate from his earlier 17-year sentence for assaulting three followers, including a Hong Kong woman and an Australian woman.

   Oct 20, 2026 Morning