More women accuse S. Korean cult leader of abuse after series exposes crimes

He wanted to turn '10,000 people into heavenly lovers through sexual salvation’

- Chang May Choon

SEOUL - Six women have accused a South Korean cult founder of sexual abuse, with more expected to follow suit, as awareness about his wrongful acts grew after the recent release of a Netflix documentary.

The eight-part series, titled In The Name Of God: A Holy Betrayal, exposes the controversial behaviour of four cult leaders claiming to be prophets, and the dark side of unquestioning belief. It began streaming on March 3.

The most shocking was the story of how Jesus Morning Star (JMS) founder Jeong Myeong-seok violated female followers, with victims sharing how they were sexually abused after joining what they thought was a legitimate church.

Jeong, 78, is now detained and undergoing trial in the central-west city of Daejeon for sexual assault of two foreign followers - a 29-year-old woman from Hong Kong and a 31-year-old woman from Australia.

He was arrested in October 2022 after completing a 10-year jail term in February 2018 for raping his followers.

The sexual abuse of Ms Maple Yip from Hong Kong is said to have started right after his release from prison, and continued until September 2021.

She testified against him in court on April 3.

Given the public outrage over his unrepentant ways, the prosecutors have expanded their investigations into the case, such as raiding the religious group's facilities and questioning JMS members suspected of abetting Jeong's crime, reported the local media.

The prosecutors also intend to gather testimonies from other victims.

At least six women came forward between December 2022 and April 13 to accuse Jeong of sexual assault.