Religious cult, leader ordered to pay $277,000 in damages to victims of sexual assault
DAEJEON — A court on Thursday ordered a religious cult, its leader and No. 2 official to pay about 370 million won ($277,000) in damages to three female followers who were sexually assaulted by the leader. Jeong Myung-seok, the leader of Jesus Morning Star (JMS) church, has been serving a 17-year prison term for sexually assaulting the three women between 2018 and 2021. The victims — a Hong Kong…
Jeong Myung-seok, leader of the Jesus Morning Star (JMS) church in Korea, was ordered to pay $277,000 in damages to three female followers who allege they were sexually assaulted by him between 2018 and 2021, according to prosecutors. At the same time, the court ordered the church itself to contribute 250 million won, with interest, to one victim, while another victim, Amy, received 80 million won, with interest, and the third victim, Maple, was awarded 40 million won, with interest.
Jeong Myung-seok is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence for the alleged assaults. The Daejeon District Court's ruling comes after the three women - a Hong Kong national named Maple, an Australian named Amy, and an unnamed Korean follower - filed a lawsuit against Jeong, the church, and its No. 2 official, Kim Ji-seon, seeking compensation for the trauma they endured.
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