JMS Cult Leader Jeong Myeong Seok Indicted On Sexual Assault And Rape Charges
Jeong Myeong Seok, infamously known as the leader of the JMS cult, alternatively known as the Providence Church, has been indicted on charges of sexual assault and rape.
After Netflix‘s docu-series In The Name Of God: A Holy Betrayal unveiled some unpleasant truths about the crimes of JMS, the public was enraged anew. Maple Yip, of the alleged victims of Jeong, was the main whistleblower in the documentary. She revealed that Jeong had gone back to abusing and exploiting the female followers of his cult under the guise of spirituality after being released from prison in 2018.
Maple accused the cult leader of raping and sexually assaulting her for three years and presented an audio recording as evidence. She escaped to her home in Hong Kong eventually but decided to come back to Korea and testify against Jeong. Despite his history of assault, the tape proving Maple’s claims, and the victims’ testimonies, followers continue to argue that Jeong Myeong Seok is an innocent man.
But the law seems to disagree. After Maple decided to report her assault, Joeng came under investigation once again and has been standing trial under detention. The charges against him were for raping and sexually assaulting two women of foreign nationality. On Friday, April 14, the Daejeon District Prosecutors Office added additional charges for molesting another South Korean female follower in August 2018 at the sect’s compound and making false statements by denying the allegations brought by the two foreign victims.
According to prosecutors, Jeong’s current detention period is about to expire on April 27, and they are planning to seek a new warrant for him. Jeong previously served 10 years in prison for raping numerous female followers and embezzling funds from JMS.
