Prosecutors have sought a 27-year prison sentence for the leader of a religious organization, who is accused of sexually assaulting female followers.
The prosecution on Monday made the request for Jung Myung-seok, the leader of Christian Gospel Mission or Jesus Morning Star(JMS) during the final hearing at the Daejeon District Court.
Prosecutors also requested a ten-year employment ban at institutions serving children, adolescents and people with disabilities, 20 years of electronic monitoring and five years of probation.
Prosecutors said Jung had used his position as a religious leader to indoctrinate young female followers and exploit their trust and vulnerability, citing his repeated offenses as an aggravating factor.
Jung was indicted for allegedly indoctrinating 16 female followers into believing he was the “Messiah” and sexually assaulting or molesting them at a retreat center in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province and elsewhere between 2018 and 2022.
He is currently serving a 17-year sentence upheld by the Supreme Court in January last year for sexually assaulting a Hong Kong follower and molesting an Australian follower and a South Korean follower.