The leader of the JMS cult in South Korea was sentenced by a court to an additional 33 years in prison for sexually abusing female followers, adding to the 17-year sentence he is currently serving. It is not yet clear whether he will appeal the verdict.
Foreign news agencies reported that Jung Myung-seok, leader of the "Jesus Morning Star" or JMS cult in South Korea, was sentenced to an additional 33 years in prison on Monday, 19 Oct 2026 GMT+7, after the court found him guilty of sexually abusing and assaulting several female followers.
Jung Myung-seok, believed to be in his early 80s, is currently serving a 17-year prison term for previous sexual abuse charges against followers. Those abuses occurred after he was released from prison in 2008 following a rape conviction.
In this latest case, Jung, who was featured in the Netflix documentary series In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal—which exposed the misconduct of four JMS cult leaders—is accused of sexually abusing and assaulting 16 female followers over many years until 2022.
Officials at the Taechon city court stated that Jung will serve this 33-year sentence consecutively after completing his prior sentence. Additionally, another cult official was sentenced to 7 years in prison for supporting and facilitating Jung's crimes.
Representatives from the JMS cult's religious propagation office in South Chungcheong Province have not yet commented on whether Jung will appeal the verdict.
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Source:cna