Religious sect leader sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexual assault
This picture provided by Daejeon District Prosecutors Office, shows Jeong Myeong-seok, left, Feb. 18, 2019. Yonhap
A local district court on Monday sentenced the leader of the religious sect Jesus Morning Star (JMS) to a 33-year prison term on charges of sexually assaulting female followers.
The Daejeon District Court handed down the punishment for Jeong Myeong-seok, 81, longer than the 27 years requested by the prosecution, in his latest conviction for sexual assault.
Jeong had been indicted on charges of sexually assaulting or molesting 16 female members between 2018 and 2022 after making them incapable of resisting by brainwashing them into believing he was the "Messiah."
"The ways and means of the crime are very malicious, and as criminal acts took place repeatedly over a long period of time using the structure of religious control and influence, a grave punishment is inevitable," the court said.
The court also ordered Jeong to wear an electronic tracking device for 15 years and barred him from working at facilities for children, adolescents and disabled people for 10 years.
Jeong is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence after the Supreme Court finalized a ruling in January 2025 for sexually assaulting a Hong Kong national, and sexually harassing an Australian follower and a Korean follower.
Prior to the 2025 sentence, he served a 10-year prison term for sexually assaulting or molesting four female followers overseas between 2001 and 2006. He was released in February 2018.