What sentence did the Daejeon District Court give JMS leader Jeong Myeong-seok for sexually assaulting followers?

The Daejeon District Court sentenced Jeong Myeong-seok to 33 years in prison. The court also imposed 15 years of electronic monitoring and barred him from working at facilities for children, adolescents and disabled people for 10 years.

How many JMS followers were involved in Jeong Myeong-seok’s latest sexual assault conviction, and when did the offenses occur?

The charges involved 16 female JMS members, with the alleged sexual assaults or molestations occurring between 2018 and 2022. Prosecutors had sought a 27-year prison term in the case.

Why did the court impose a heavier punishment than prosecutors requested in Jeong Myeong-seok’s JMS case?

The court said the crimes were highly malicious because they were repeated over a long period and were carried out through the structure of religious control and influence. It concluded that a grave punishment was inevitable.

Religious sect leader sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexual assault

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Summary

The Daejeon District Court sentenced Jesus Morning Star leader Jeong Myeong-seok to 33 years in prison on Monday for sexually assaulting female followers. The court found that he sexually assaulted or molested 16 members between 2018 and 2022 after using religious influence to make them unable to resist. It also ordered 15 years of electronic monitoring and a 10-year ban on working at facilities for children, adolescents and disabled people.

Key Facts

The 33-year sentence exceeded the 27 years requested by prosecutors.
Jeong is 81 and is currently serving a 17-year sentence finalized by the Supreme Court in January 2025.
The court described the crimes as repeated acts committed over a long period through religious control and influence.
Before his current sentences, Jeong served 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting or molesting four female followers overseas between 2001 and 2006 and was released in February 2018.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 19, 2026 2:00 pm KST
Updated Oct 19, 2026 2:01 pm KST

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.

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