Daejeon:A court has mandated a religious cult and its leader to compensate three women who were victims of sexual assault, with a total payment of approximately 370 million won (US$277,000).
According to Yonhap News Agency, Jeong Myung-seok, the leader of the Jesus Morning Star (JMS) church, is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence for the sexual assault of three women between 2018 and 2021. The victims, known as Maple from Hong Kong, Amy from Australia, and a South Korean woman who remains unnamed, pursued legal action against Jeong, the church, and its second-in-command for damages.
The Daejeon District Court ruled that Jeong and the church must pay 250 million won plus interest to Maple, 80 million won plus interest to Amy, and 40 million won plus interest to the South Korean victim. Additionally, the church's No. 2 official, Kim Ji-seon, is specifically held accountable for 30 million won plus all the interest out of the total amount owed to Maple.