Christian Gospel Mission leader faces additional allegations from new victims
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Eighty-year-old Jeong Myeong-seok, leader of controversial religious cult Christian Gospel Mission (JMS), has been indicted again on a quasi-rape charge separate from the crimes that have him currently serving his 17-year prison sentence.
The Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office said Monday that it indicted Jeong on Aug. 22 along with 47-year-old Kim Ji-seon, considered the No. 2 figure in JMS, for aiding and abetting the crime.’
Prosecutors said that after Jeong’s previous crimes became public, additional victims filed complaints, leading to new indictments separate from the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that finalized his 17-year sentence for raping his followers.
Jeong was already indicted in May and November last year and again this April on new charges, and the cases have since been consolidated. The number of victims is estimated to be more than 10.
Separately, the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency is investigating two additional complaints from women who said they were raped by Jeong.
Jeong has also been indicted on charges of violating the Drinking Water Management Act for allegedly profiting around 2 billion won ($1.4 million) by selling bottled water sourced from the “Wolmyeong Spring” at the JMS retreat center in Wolmyeong-dong.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
Content retrieved from: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-09-01/national/socialAffairs/Christian-Gospel-Mission-leader-faces-additional-allegations-from-new-victims/2388825.
