Church leader jailed for raping women

Lee Jae-rock abused his authority, a Seoul court has ruled. Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

A church leader has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting his followers.

The Seoul Central District Court convicted Lee Jae-rock, 75, the leader of the Manmin Central Church in Seoul, on Thursday of abusing his authority to rape eight women in their 20s over the past eight years.

The court also ordered him to take an 80-hour therapy session and barred him from working at any institution related to children and adolescents for 10 years after his release.

“The victims suffered enormously after being betrayed by the leader they once trusted,” the court said. “Lee, however, has denied all his wrongdoings and inflicted more mental damage on the victims during the hearings by revealing the sensitive parts of their private lives.”

The court also said Lee tried to deify himself as a god through his sermons.

The Manmin Central Church, which claims to be a Protestant Christian church, is believed to have 130,000 members.