Jung Myung-seok, the leader of the Christian Gospel Mission (JMS), who was sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexually assaulting female followers, has appealed the ruling.
According to legal sources on the 25th, Jung's attorney submitted an appeal to the Daejeon District Court on the 23rd. Jung's defense team has consistently denied the allegations, arguing that the victims' testimonies lack credibility and that they were not in a psychologically incapacitated state. The appeal cites factual errors, legal misunderstandings, and excessive sentencing as reasons for contesting the verdict.
Jung is accused of committing rape, attempted rape, quasi-rape, and quasi-coercive sexual assault against 16 female followers at training centers in Wollyeong-dong, Geumsan County, from 2018 to 2022. He allegedly brainwashed the victims into believing he was the 'Messiah,' rendering them psychologically incapacitated, and threatened them to prevent them from disclosing the abuse.
The Daejeon District Court's Criminal Division 11, led by Judge Park Woo-geun, stated on the 19th that Jung had satisfied his sexual desires by exploiting the religious hierarchy and the psychological states of the victims. The court imposed a heavier sentence of 33 years in prison, exceeding the prosecution's recommendation of 27 years. Additionally, Jung was ordered to have his personal information disclosed for 10 years, be restricted from working with children and adolescents for 10 years, and wear an electronic monitoring device for 15 years.
Previously, Jung was serving a 17-year sentence confirmed by the Supreme Court for sexually assaulting and molesting female followers from Hong Kong, Australia, and South Korea. If this latest ruling is upheld, his total prison time will amount to 50 years.
Meanwhile, Kim Ji-sun, who was indicted for assisting Jung in his crimes, received a 7-year prison sentence, while three other executives were sentenced to 3 years in prison and received suspended sentences. Conversely, one church administrator was acquitted.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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