"Two JMS Second-in-Command and Others Arrested and Indicted... Six Participants Indicted Without Detention"

The prosecution has indicted and detained two JMS officials, including Jung Jo-eun (real name Kim Ji-sun), who is considered the second-in-command of the Christian Gospel Mission (hereinafter JMS).

Front view photo of JMS Training Center entrance in Wolmyeong-dong, Geumsan, Chungnam. Source=Yonhap News

The Special Investigation Team of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office (led by Kim Ji-hye, Head of the Women and Children Crime Investigation Division) announced on the 3rd that Kim and the JMS Civil Affairs Director were indicted and detained on charges of participating in the sexual assault crimes committed by JMS leader Jeong Myeong-seok against female followers.

Along with them, six JMS executives (International Mission Director, International Deputy Leader, two secretaries to Jeong Myeong-seok, Director of External Cooperation, and Deputy Director of External Cooperation) were referred to prosecution without detention.

According to the prosecution, Kim and others divided roles as Civil Affairs Department, International Mission Department, and secretaries, selecting and managing domestic and international "faith stars" (internally selecting and managing targets of Jeong Myeong-seok's sexual violence), and are accused of participating in Jeong Myeong-seok's sexual assault crimes or leading evidence destruction by instructing JMS key executives to change their mobile phones.

Among them, Kim was found to have brainwashed the victim by calling Jeong Myeong-seok the Messiah and preventing her from rejecting his words and actions, then conspiring with Jeong to hand the victim pajamas during March-April 2018 while she was in a state of helplessness due to brainwashing, instructing her to "sleep here while protecting the Lord," thereby participating in Jeong's crime (quasi-rape).

The Civil Affairs Director (female, 51), who was detained along with Kim, brainwashed a victim who complained in early September 2021 that she was sexually assaulted by Jeong Myeong-seok by saying, "That is God's dramatic love."

Also, around September 14, 2019, she was investigated for waiting nearby (aiding and abetting) while Jeong Myeong-seok quasi-raped the same victim after bringing her to the building where Jeong was.

In addition, the six JMS executives who were indicted without detention (including the International Mission Director) were charged with aiding and abetting by interpreting during Jeong Myeong-seok's forced molestation of the victim to facilitate the assault or guarding outside the room while the crime was committed.

These executives also instructed JMS key executives during video conferences in March-April 2022 to replace mobile phones that could serve as evidence during the investigation of Jeong Myeong-seok's sexual assault (instruction to destroy evidence).

A prosecution official stated, "The Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office will maintain the prosecution to break the vicious cycle established by Jeong Myeong-seok and his accomplices who committed similar crimes even after long imprisonment, while also making every effort to protect the victims, including personal safety and prevention of secondary damage."

Meanwhile, Jeong Myeong-seok was indicted and detained on charges of molesting or sexually assaulting a female follower A (29), a Hong Kong national, 17 times from February 2018 to September 2021 at training centers such as Wolmyeong-dong, Jinsan-myeon, Geumsan-gun, Chungnam, and sexually molesting B (31), an Australian national, five times from July to December 2018 (quasi-rape, etc.).

Currently, the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office has additionally indicted Jeong on charges of forcibly molesting a Korean female follower by touching specific body parts at the Wolmyeong-dong training center in Geumsan around August 2018.

Separately, the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency is conducting an investigation after receiving complaints from three Korean female followers alleging sexual molestation and sexual assault by Jeong Myeong-seok.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.