{
  "id": 15562087,
  "title": "Religious sect leader sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexual assault",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/religious-sect-leader-sentenced-to-33-years-in-prison-for-sexual",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-19T05:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/law-crime/20261019/religious-sect-leader-sentenced-to-33-yrs-in-prison-for-sexual-assault"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A religious sect leader, Jeong Myeong-seok, has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexually assaulting female followers, according to the Daejeon District Court. The court's decision exceeded the 27 years requested by prosecutors, as they deemed the crimes more malicious due to the prolonged period of brainwashing and religious control over the victims. Jeong, who allegedly assaulted 16 women between 2018 and 2022, was ordered to wear an electronic tracking device for 15 years and banned from working with children, adolescents, and disabled individuals for 10 years. The court emphasized that the repeated nature of the crimes and Jeong's influence within the religious organization warranted a severe punishment.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [
    "Jeong Myeong-seok sentenced to 33 years in prison",
    "16 women assaulted between 2018 and 2022",
    "15-year electronic tracking device and 10-year child protection ban"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The court’s decision to exceed the requested sentence reflects a judicial intent to penalize the use of religious influence and psychological manipulation as tools for committing repeated sexual offenses.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Religious sect leader sentenced to 33 yrs in prison for sexual assault",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/religious-sect-leader-sentenced-to-33-yrs-in-prison-for-sexual-assault",
        "published": "2026-10-19T04:41:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Religious sect leader sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexual assault",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/religious-sect-leader-sentenced-to-33-years-in-prison-for-sexual-15565336",
        "published": "2026-10-19T05:42:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}