Religious cult, leader ordered to pay 370 mln won in damages to victims of sexual assault

A court in Daejeon has ordered a religious cult, its leader, and a high-ranking official to pay approximately 370 million won in damages to three women who were sexually assaulted by the cult's leader. Jeong Myung-seok, the leader of the Jesus Morning Star (JMS) church, is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting the women between 2018 and 2021.

The victims, including a Hong Kong national, an Australian, and an unnamed South Korean follower, sued Jeong, the church, and the No. 2 official, Kim Ji-seon, for damages. The Daejeon District Court ruled that Jeong and the church must pay 250 million won plus interest to Maple, 80 million won plus interest to Amy, and 40 million won plus interest to the South Korean victim. Kim Ji-seon was ordered to pay 30 million won plus all the interest owed to Maple.

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