{
  "id": 6110492,
  "title": "Prosecutors demand 27-yr prison term for religious leader over sexual assault",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/prosecutors-demand-27-yr-prison-term-for-religious-leader-over-sexual",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-07T06:47:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yonhap News",
    "slug": "yonhap-news",
    "url": "https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260907005900315"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Prosecutors have demanded a 27-year prison term for Jeong Myeong-seok, the 81-year-old leader of the Jesus Morning Star (JMS) religious sect, for raping and sexually abusing 16 female members over 80 occasions between 2018 and 2022. The charges stem from Jeong exploiting relationships of trust with vulnerable victims, brainwashing them into believing he was the Messiah. In addition to the prison term, prosecutors have requested a 10-year employment restriction at facilities related to children, juveniles, and disabled people, 20 years of wearing an electronic tracking device, and five years of probation. Jeong is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting a Hong Kong national and harassing an Australian and South Korean follower, and previously served a 10-year sentence for similar crimes overseas between 2001 and 2006.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "KBS World Radio",
        "title": "27-Year Prison Term Sought for JMS Leader for Sexual Crimes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/27-year-prison-term-sought-for-jms-leader-for-sexual-crimes",
        "published": "2026-09-07T06:47:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}