South Korean sect leader gets additional 33 years in jail for sexual assaults

The ​leader of the South ‌Korean religious ​sect Jesus Morning Star was sentenced on Monday to a further 33 years ‌in jail after being found guilty of sexually assaulting and abusing female followers. Jung Myung-seok, believed to be in his early ‌80s, is currently serving a 17-year sentence after being convicted ‌of separate sexual assaults of followers. Those assaults occurred after he was released from prison following a 2008 rape conviction.

In this latest case, ⁠Jung — who ​was featured ⁠in a Netflix documentary series "In the Name of God: A Holy ⁠Betrayal" about four South Korean religious leaders accused of various crimes — was ​accused of sexually assaulting and abusing 16 female followers for ⁠several years through 2022. Jung would serve the 33-year term after ⁠the ​earlier sentence, a Daejeon court official said.

An official at the sect's mission office in South Chungcheong province did ⁠not have immediate comment on whether Jung would appeal the ruling. Another ⁠sect official ⁠was sentenced to seven years in prison for abetting Jung's actions, the official said.