Feb. 8, 2009: Rapist Cult Leader Appealing Conviction
From Korea Beat comes a translation of a Korean article on the trial of Jeong Myeong-seok. News in English has been hard to come by on the trial, so a very big thank you goes out from me and others following the case:
Peter Daley, who operates the largest English web site on the Jesus Morning Star Cult in South Korea, asked for a translation of this Christian Today article on the legal proceedings against the cult's head. By the way, if anyone with knowledge of the Korean legal system can suggest a better translation of ?????????, please let me know in the comments.
At 2 pm on the 5th the appeals court opened the new trial of JMS president Jeong Myeong-seok, sentenced by the Seoul District Court to six years in prison for sexually assaulting female church members, but the court agreed to to delay the start of the proceedings until the 10th after accepting JMS's application for an extension.
With Mr. Jeong in attendence, his legal team petitioned the judge to extend the sentencing because they have finally begun negotiations with the victims.
At the hearing a crowd of over 500 people, including some who appeared to be representatives of JMS, gathered and demonstrated outside the court.
After Mr. Jeong's attorney spoke, the judge said, "I am aware a request for an extension has been filed, but I want to know who has made it." The attorney responded, "our team learned of it this morning. It appears it may have been filed by members of the church... We are asking for a one-time extension because it appears we will finally by in negotiations with some of the victims." Mr. Jeong pled, "I have been trying to reach a reconciliation from the first. I am praying for a reconciliation."
Then an attorney for one of the victims (a female church member) retorted, "the victims have no intention of negotiating and are simply waiting for the final judgment. If the extension is granted they will be placed in a situation of hardship," but the judge still agreed to the "final" extension.
n August 12th Mr. Jeong was sentenced to six years in prison by Seoul District Court judge Bae Gi-yeol for sexually assaulting female members of the church. At the time Judge Bae said, "Mr. Jeong has expressed no remorse for the heartless crime of repeatedly sexually assaulting young women who joined his church in the belief that he was the messiah."
Mr. Jeong was arrested for sexually assaulting five Korean women in Malaysia and Hong Kong between 2001 and 2006. After an investigation began on complaints filed by the former church members in 2001, Mr. Jeong spent seven years in hiding in forteign countries. He was detained last February in China and repatriated to South Korea.
http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/korea-beat/-p-3731
