March 16, 1945 - Jung Myung-seok
His case illustrates how institutional religious authority can be constructed and sustained specifically to facilitate abuse at scale — the Providence movement's international expansion effectively widened the pool of people exposed to that authority. Jung built a following across multiple countries over decades, and the Supreme Court of Korea ultimately found that his conduct extended well beyond the bounds of spiritual leadership.
From Wikipedia
Jung Myung-seok (Korean: 정명석; born 16 March 1945; sometimes spelled Jeong Myeong-Seok) is a South Korean clergyman convicted of sexual assault, who founded and led the Providence religious movement, also known as Christian Gospel Mission (CGM) or Jesus Morning Star (JMS), a Christian new religious movement that is commonly referred to as a Christian sect or cult. Jung was convicted of rape by the Supreme Court of Korea and was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment between 2008 and 2018. He was again indicted in South Korea on 28 October 2022 for sexually assaulting two female followers between 2018 and 2022. On 9 January 2025, he would be sentenced by the Supreme Court of Korea to 17 years imprisonment after again being convicted of rape.
Jung is a self-proclaimed messiah. He founded Providence in 1980, which was headquartered in Wolmyeongdong, South Korea. The religious group has since expanded to Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, and other countries.
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