Jung Myung-seok
Jung Myung-seok | |
|---|---|
 Jung Myung-seok, founder of Providence | |
| Born | March 16, 1945 |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Other names | Jeong Myeong-seok, Joshua Jung |
| Occupation | Religious leader |
| Known for | Founder of Providence |
| Criminal charges | Sexual assault |
| Criminal penalty | 10-year imprisonment |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Jeong Myeong-seok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chŏng Myŏng-sŏk |
Jung Myung-seok (Korean: 정명석; Hanja: 鄭明錫[1]) is a South Korean religious cult 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 and the religious group is headquartered in Wol Myeong-dong, South Korea,[9] and the group has since expanded to Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and other countries.[12]
In April 2009, the leader Jung Myung-seok was convicted of rape by the Supreme Court of Korea and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Jung was released on 18 February 2018.[13] He was again indicted in South Korea on October 28, 2022, for sexually assaulting a follower from Hong Kong and sexually abusing an Australian follower.[14]
He is also known by the names of Joshua Jung, Joshua Lee and Pastor Joshua.[15]
Early life
Jung Myung-seok was born in 1945.[16][17][18] He is also known by the names of Joshua Jung, Joshua Lee and Pastor Joshua.[15][19][20] 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 International University under UNESCO (Sri Lanka) in 2001.[21]
References
- ^ "::: 교회와신앙 :::". www.amennews.com. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ "South Korean religious sect leader jailed for rape". Reuters. August 12, 2008. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "South Korean religious leader accused of 'quasi-raping' Hong Kong woman". South China Morning Post. October 5, 2022. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "On a mission from God: South Korea's many cults". France 24. November 22, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ Ser, Myo-ja (August 12, 2008). "JMS cult leader is convicted of rape". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Cult Leader Extradited to Korea". The Korea Times. February 21, 2008. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "Sex, cults and the bizarre world of Providence leader Jeong Myeong-seok". ABC News. December 10, 2017. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "Sect targets Kiwi brides for rapist". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "South Korea: A cult history". TODAY. November 4, 2016. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "韩国邪教教主郑明析在华落网" [Korean Cult Leader Zheng Mingxi Arrested in China]. China Daily. May 23, 2007. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ Callick, Rowan (May 15, 2007). "Asian cult leader arrested". culteducation.com. The Australian. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ Turner-Cohen, Alex (September 8, 2022). "Melbourne woman speaks out about alleged ordeal on church-funded trip". News Corp Australia.
- ^ "The cult that's infiltrated NZ schools, campuses and churches". NOTED. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ "Top Prosecutor Calls for Best Efforts to Punish Cult Leader for Abuse". KBS World. March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Cubby, Ben (March 10, 2007). "Claims sect using social groups to recruit members". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ^ Callick, Rowan (May 15, 2007). "Asian cult leader arrested". The Australian (Australia).
- ^ Hyundae Jongyo (2007).
- ^ 이대복 (2000). 이단종합연구 [Comprehensive Heresy Studies] (in Korean). 기독교이단문제연구소. p. 647. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ Schwartzman, Nathan (English translator) (April 2, 2012). "Seoul: Former JMS cult members tell their stories". Asian Correspondent. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
{{cite news}}:|first=has generic name (help); original article: Song, Ju-youl (송주열) (March 28, 2012). JMS 정명석, 탈퇴자에 대한 테러 지시 [Jung Myung-Seok orders terror on JMS defectors]. CBS (Korea) Newsroom. No Cut News (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 1, 2015.{{cite news}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; January 9, 2015 suggested (help) - ^ Miller, Mallory (April 8, 2014). "South Korean 'cult' JMS recruiting students at US universities". Cult News. Archived from the original on May 22, 2014. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ Lee, Kyung-sik (February 14, 2020). "VISIT WOLMYEONGDONG, THE CENTER OF PROVIDENCE, GOD'S NEW HISTORY". The Korea Post (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.