Jung Myung-seok
Jung Myung-seok, founder of Providence
Born (1945-03-16) 16 March 1945
Wolmyeongdong, Geumsan County, Zenrahoku-dō, Japanese Korea
NationalitySouth Korean
Other namesJeong Myeong-seok, Joshua Jung
OccupationReligious leader
Known forFounder of Providence
Criminal chargesSexual assault
Criminal penalty10-year imprisonment
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationJeong Myeong-seok
McCune–ReischauerChŏng Myŏng-sŏk

Jung Myung-seok (sometimes spelled "Jeong Myeong-Seok" in english) (Korean: 정명석; Hanja: 鄭明錫[1]) is a South Korean religious leader and convicted rapist. He is the founder and leader of Providence, also known as Christian Gospel Mission (CGM) or Jesus Morning Star (JMS),[2][3] a Christian new religious movement that is commonly referred to as a Christian sect or cult.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Jung is a self-proclaimed messiah.[11][7] He founded Providence in 1980, which was headquartered in WolMyeongdong, South Korea. The religious group has since expanded to Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and other countries.[9][12] Jung Myung-seok was convicted of rape by the Supreme Court of Korea and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment between 2008 and 2018. He was again indicted in South Korea on 28 October 2022, for sexually assaulting two female followers between 2018 and 2022.[13]

He is also known by the names of Joshua Jung, Joshua Lee and Pastor Joshua.[14] His family name is often also transliterated in English as Jeong.

Early life

Jung Myung-seok was born in 1945.[11][15] He is also known by the names of Joshua Jung, Joshua Lee and Pastor Joshua.[14][16][17] According to an interview with Providence's Director of External Affairs in 2020, Jung graduated from the Methodist Wesley Theological Seminary in 1983, completed an executive management program at the graduate school of Administration, Chungnam University in 1998, and received an honorary doctorate of philosophy from Open University of Sri Lanka in 2001.[18]

Providence

Founding of the Providence movement (1980–1998)

Jung Myung-seok joined as a member of the Unification Church in 1974,[1] where he taught briefly in 1978. In 1980, he founded the Ae-chun Church or Church of Providence. Its religious events are held in university football stadiums, sometimes in the form of football matches. JMS recruits elite Korean students on campuses through sports and a variety of student interest clubs.[11]

Self-imposed exile and criminal convictions (1999–2008)

Jung Myung-seok fled South Korea in 1999 after Korean television broadcaster Seoul Broadcasting System aired its exposé on the alleged sex crimes of Jung on 20 March 1999. He hid in Hong Kong and Mainland China for years before he was extradited from Beijing, China in February 2008 to face the charges in South Korea.[5]

While Jung was on the run, Providence (then known mostly as JMS) continued publishing Jung's sermons online, providing telephone counseling and holding overseas events for their followers.[19][20]

According to former Providence members, Jung traveled often to Japan to proselytize until 2002. He was said to have stayed in his followers' homes in Osaka and Chiba prefectures, where he gathered at least 10 female followers daily and sexually assaulted them "under the pretext of health checks". Japanese female followers were said to be brought overseas for rendezvous with Jung and told not to reveal these trips to others, or they would be condemned to hell.[21]

Besides being prosecuted in South Korea, Jung was also indicted by the Taiwanese District Prosecutor's Office on charges of rape in 2003 but failed to appear in court. He remains wanted by the Taiwan Taipei District Prosecutor's Office until the arrest warrant expires in 2027.[22][23]

Jung was arrested in Hong Kong in July 2003 for overstaying his visa but was released three days later on bail. When Hong Kong authorities approved extradition to Korea, Jung fled the extradition hearing.[11][24][25] An Interpol Red Notice was issued on Jung in 2003 for multiple counts of fraud, sexual crimes and embezzlement.[26][27] In 2006, South Korean authorities put Jung on an international wanted list on rape charges,[28] and there were nine charges and accusations against him filed to South Korean prosecutors by October 2006.[29]

After learning that Jung had fled to China, the South Korean government officially asked China in November 2006 to extradite him.[27] In February 2007, Interpol requested for the fingerprints of Jung from South Korea, who was then thought to be in Costa Rican territories under false documentation.[30]

Jung was reportedly hiding in Qianshan near Anshan, Liaoning Province, China after escaping Hong Kong in 2003.[31] After about 8 years on the run,[32] Chinese Ministry of Public Security announced that Jung had been arrested in Beijing by Chinese police on 1 May 2007.[11][33][34] Jung was questioned by the Chinese authorities for the sexual assault he allegedly committed in China.[27] The Liaoning Provincial Higher People's Court ruled in September 2007 to extradite Jung, a decision upheld by the Supreme People's Court.[35][36] He was extradited back to South Korea to stand charges in February 2008.[37] Jung was also charged with fraud and embezzlement of church funds.

Seoul prosecutors indicted him on five charges of sexually assaulting five female followers from 2001 to 2006 in Malaysia, Hong Kong and China. Jung was initially convicted on three counts of rape, acquitted on one count, and one case was dismissed because the victim dropped the charges. He was sentenced to six years of imprisonment in 2008.[5][38] An appeal court added four more years to his sentence in 2009, convicting him on all four charges of rape between 2001 and 2006.[39][40][41]

Growing the Providence movement from jail (2008–2018)

In April 2009, Jung Myung-seok was convicted of 4 counts of rape by the Supreme Court of Korea and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. During his incarceration between 2008 and 2018, Jung's sermons and directives were delivered through visitors to the prison and through his successor Jung Jo-eun (real name Kim Ji-seon).[19]

Members of the Providence Church, now mostly known as the Christian Gospel Movement (CGM), tried to downplay their religious ties when proselytizing. They often recruit members from shopping malls and university campuses in Taiwan, Japan and Australia. Other new members are recruited from student clubs in universities (e.g. modeling, cheerleading, groups focused on sustainable development goals issues),[42] before they are introduced to the Providence doctrine and CGM church services with Jung's sermons. According to former members, some female followers are then introduced as spiritual brides for the leader and coerced or forced into sexual relationships with their perceived messiah.[8][7]

In 2014, Australian public broadcaster SBS aired a feature Inside Providence: The Korean church cult led by a convicted rapist, in which former Australian members described how they were encouraged to write letters, send photos of themselves in bikinis and visit Jung in jail.[43] Members are encouraged to ignore news on Jung's imprisonment and alleged crimes, claiming he is a messiah suffering for them.[8][44] In a 2023 interview, a source confirmed that members were indoctrinated to believe Jung was wrongfully accused.[45]

Jung was released from jail on 18 February 2018.[46]

2018–present

Jung Myung-seok was indicted in South Korea on 28 October 2022, for sexually assaulting a follower from Hong Kong and sexually abusing an Australian follower.[47][13]

On 13 March 2023, it was reported that Providence's second-in-command Jung Jo-eun, stated that there were seven people from the church who were sexually assaulted by Jung Myung-seok, of which two were minors. She also said that a Providence member said Jung Myung-seok gave false testimony. Jung Jo-Eun said in a recorded video that she had tried to prevent female followers from entering within a 3-meter radius next to Jung Myung-seok.[48][49]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "JMS 정명석 교주 통일교 행적 밝힐 자료 나와" [Data revealing the activities of the Unification Church of JMS leader Myeong-seok Jung]. 교회와신앙. 30 April 2015. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "South Korean religious sect leader jailed for rape". Reuters. 12 August 2008. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "South Korean religious leader accused of 'quasi-raping' Hong Kong woman". South China Morning Post. 5 October 2022. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "On a mission from God: South Korea's many cults". France 24. 22 November 2018. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Ser, Myo-ja (12 August 2008). "JMS cult leader is convicted of rape". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "Cult Leader Extradited to Korea". The Korea Times. 21 February 2008. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 "Sex, cults and the bizarre world of Providence leader Jeong Myeong-seok". ABC News. 10 December 2017. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 "Sect targets Kiwi brides for rapist". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  9. 1 2 "South Korea: A cult history". TODAY. 4 November 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "韩国邪教教主郑明析在华落网" [Korean Cult Leader Zheng Mingxi Arrested in China]. China Daily. 23 May 2007. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Callick, Rowan (15 May 2007). "Asian Cult Leader Arrested". The Australian. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  12. ↑ Turner-Cohen, Alex (8 September 2022). "Melbourne woman speaks out about alleged ordeal on church-funded trip". News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Top Prosecutor Calls for Best Efforts to Punish Cult Leader for Abuse". KBS World. 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  14. 1 2 Cubby, Ben (10 March 2007). "Claims sect using social groups to recruit members". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  15. ↑ 이대복 (2000). 이단종합연구 [Comprehensive Heresy Studies] (in Korean). 기독교이단문제연구소. p. 647. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  16. ↑ Schwartzman, Nathan, ed. (2 April 2012). "Seoul: Former JMS cult members tell their stories". Asian Correspondent. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015.
  17. ↑ Miller, Mallory (8 April 2014). "South Korean 'cult' JMS recruiting students at US universities". Cult News. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  18. ↑ Lee, Kyung-sik (14 February 2020). "VISIT WOLMYEONGDONG, THE CENTER OF PROVIDENCE, GOD'S NEW HISTORY". The Korea Post (in Korean). Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  19. 1 2 Paek, Sang-hyun (21 February 2018). "Cult Leader Jung Myung-seok Released After Serving Full 10-Year Sentence". Kukmin Ilbo. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "韩国"淫乱教主"郑明析中国落网" [Korea's "Fornication Leader" Jung Myung-seok arrested in China]. 22 May 2007. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  21. ↑ "2,000 Japanese join cult led by a suspected sex offender on the run from Interpol". The Asahi Shimbun. 29 July 2006. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008.
  22. ↑ 鄭, 心連 (6 March 2023). "攝理教主鄭明析魔爪伸台灣！涉性侵上百女大生 北檢通緝時效曝" [Setsuri leader Jung Myung-seok's claws extend to Taiwan! involved in sexual assault of hundreds of female college students. Taipei District Prosecutor time limit for the arrest has been revealed]. TVBS (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  23. ↑ 聯合新聞網 (6 March 2023). "南韓「攝理教主」遭爆性侵上百名台灣女大生 北檢通緝至2027年" [South Korea's Setsurin sect leader sexually assaulted hundreds of female college students from Taiwan. Wanted by the Taipei District Prosecutor until 2027]. United Daily News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  24. ↑ "Ask the Police". Korean National Police Agency. 21 September 2003. Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2006. Seoul Interpol requested the suspect's deportation to Hongkong Interpol on 1 July 2003. The suspect was arrested for illegal stay in Hongkong, China by Hongkong Immigration Department on 9 July 2003 but released on bail after 3 days. Hongkong Immigration Department approved the exit order for Korea against Myung Sok JUNG. However, the suspect disappeared since he appealed dissatisfaction to Immigration Department on 1 August 2003. Hongkong police cancelled the bail against the suspect and are searching for him after registering the suspect on watching lists.
  25. ↑ "Accused rapist cult leader faces extradition to Korea". 2 January 2008. Archived from the original on 15 January 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
  26. ↑ "Cult Leader Extradited to Korea". The Korea Times. 21 February 2008. Archived from the original on 1 April 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2008. He'd been on Korean wanted lists since 1999 (and the Interpol Red Notice since 2004) after fleeing the country after charges of rape emerged. While overseas, he made constant headlines for allegedly raping female devotees in various countries.
  27. 1 2 3 "Founder of cult captured in China after eight years". Korea JoongAng Daily. 16 May 2007. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  28. ↑ "Lawyers eye cult rape accusations". The Japan Times. 31 July 2006. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015. South Korean authorities have put Jung, 61, on an international wanted list on rape charges. Watanabe said the head of Setsuri persuaded Japanese women to join the cult, introduced them to Jung and took them to Jung's hideout. Jung allegedly raped the women, Watanabe said, while they were under mind control.
  29. ↑ "Government Officials Suspected of Helping JMS Head". The Dong-A Ilbo. 18 October 2006. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  30. ↑ "Interpol solicitó a Corea del Sur huellas dactilares de líder prófugo de secta religiosa" [Interpol asked South Korea for fingerprints of fugitive religious sect leader]. La Nación (in Spanish). 8 February 2007. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  31. ↑ Shin, Ho-cheol (9 October 2007). "중국 지방 공안이 정명석 비호했다" [Chinese provincial public security guarded Jeong Myung-seok]. SisaIN (in Korean). Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  32. ↑ "China extradites chief of alleged S. Korean rapist cult". China Post. Taiwan. AFP, China Post. 21 February 2008. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
  33. ↑ "Alleged South Korean Rape Cult Leader Arrested in China". Fox News Channel. Associated Press. 16 May 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
  34. ↑ "Jeong Myeong-seok Arrested in China". The Dong-a Ilbo. 17 May 2007. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014. Hwang Chul-kyu, who is in charge of international crime cases in Ministry of Justice, announced on May 16 that, "Chinese police informed us that a man caught in Beijing on May 1 turned out to be Jeong Myeong-seok after comparing fingerprints."
  35. ↑ 등록 (22 February 2008). 정명석 제이엠에스 총재 [Jung Myung-seok the JMS leader detained]. The Hankyoreh. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  36. ↑ 8년 도피 행각 JMS 정명석, 한국 인도 결정 [8 years on the run, decision to send JMS's Jung Myung-seok back to Korea]. Christian Today. 2 October 2007. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  37. ↑ "Cult boss extradited to face sex raps". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 20 February 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  38. ↑ "Religious sect leader formally arrested on rape charges". Yonhap News Agency. 23 February 2008. Archived from the original on 19 January 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  39. ↑ "Court Upholds 10-Yr Sentence on Cult Leader". The Korea Times. 23 April 2009. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  40. ↑ "Korean cult leader jailed for 10 years for sex crimes". The Korea Herald. 30 March 2010. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  41. ↑ "Cult head jailed for sex crimes". The Straits Times. AFP. 10 February 2009. Archived from the original on 15 November 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  42. ↑ 國府田英之 (15 September 2021). "社会問題化した宗教団体「摂理」がコロナ禍で有名大学で勧誘を活発化 SNSを駆使した巧妙な手口〈dot.〉". AERA dot. (アエラドット). Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  43. ↑ Inside Providence: The Korean church cult led by a convicted rapist | Investigation | SBS The Feed, archived from the original on 11 March 2023, retrieved 12 March 2023
  44. ↑ "高一就被老師找入「攝理教」！ 口譯網紅揭「洗腦SOP」" [Introduced to Providence in first year of high school by teacher. Internet personality describes 'Brainwashing SOP']. Want Weekly (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  45. ↑ ""더이상, JMS는 없다"…'DKZ' 경윤, 모태신앙의 탈출" [No more, no more JMS. DKZ's Kyoungyoon escapes from mother's faith]. Dispatch (Korea) (in Korean). 12 March 2023. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023. Since I was young, I learned that Jung Myung-seok was falsely accused of his crimes. They teach a lot of reasons why he is actually innocent. It was almost like an indoctrination. With that, it's like we were all brainwashed into thinking, "Oh, well Jung Myung-seok was persecuted just like Jesus was."
  46. ↑ "The cult that's infiltrated NZ schools, campuses and churches". NOTED. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  47. ↑ "JMS 정명석 '성폭력 육성파일'…"사랑으로 날 섬겨야" 세뇌" [JMS Jung Myung Seok 'Sexual Violence Files' "Serve me with love" brainwashing]. JTBC. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  48. ↑ Choi, Hye-seung (13 March 2023). ""정명석 반경 3m에 여자들 못 오게 막았다"... JMS 2인자, 범행 인정" ["I prevented women from coming within a 3 m radius of Jeong Myeong-seok"... JMS No. 2 admitted to the crime]. Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  49. ↑ Lee, Hae-jun (13 March 2023). "JMS 2인자, 선긋기 폭로에…"J언니는 그냥 악마" 피해자 분노". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
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