01x03 - JMS, Messiah with Electronic Anklets

[bunniefuu]

THE FOLLOWING EPISODE CONTAINS
DESCRIPTIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE

INVOLVING MINORS,
WHICH MAY BE DISTURBING FOR SOME VIEWERS

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW
HAS EXPERIENCED SEXUAL ABUSE

[Kim Do-hyeong] We got a call from
the Ministry of State Security of China,

the equivalent of South Korea's
Intelligence Service.

They called us
and they told us that they believed

they had Jeong Myeong-seok
under arrest in Beijing.

[man] Jeong Myeong-seok
evaded police officers

during their first attempt
to bring him in.

Even though Myeong-seok was able
to elude arrest this time,

officers continued to pursue the case.

Just 17 days after
the first attempt to arrest him,

Jeong Myeong-seok was detained
by police officers.

[Do-hyeong] He was arrested in Beijing
in May of 2007.

JMS PRESIDENT ARRESTED
BY CHINESE PUBLIC SECURITY OFFICERS

It felt great, of course.

[Do-hyeong] After I got off the phone,

I went out to a bar to get some drinks
because I was so excited.

[Kim Hong-il] We were very happy
and we celebrated.

[man] After Jeong Myeong-seok's arrest,

the facade of an arrogant
leader of a cult vanished.

He was a completely different person,
and displayed very strange behaviors.

In relation to his crimes,
he denied all his wrongdoing.

He also denied his offenses,
including the money and sex crimes.

In the Bible, Jesus was always confident.

He never made excuses for his actions.

When Jeong was arrested,
he was on the run.

That's the opposite
of what Jesus would do.

[Kim Hyeong-jin] He actually said he did
not believe he was the Messiah or Jesus.

Instead, he kept saying that
he was simply a pastor of a church.

[man] While he was being questioned
about his crimes,

he started acting insane
and tried to gain sympathy

in order to escape the questions
of the public security officer.

[moaning]

[moaning slowed down]

IN THE NAME OF GOD: A HOLY BETRAYAL

JMS, MESSIAH WITH ELECTRONIC ANKLETS

[choral church music]

[poignant music]

I was born in Canada.

[chuckles]

That's my mom and dad. The baby is me.

I was born at the end of March,

and my parents said that it suddenly
started snowing that night.

My parents used to say
that it was like a miracle.

Both of them really loved me very much.

[speaking English] My name is Maple Yip.

I'm from Hong Kong. I'm 28 years old.

[interpreter] My name is Maple.

I'm from Hong Kong,
and I'm 29 years old in Korean age.

MAPLE, FORMER MEMBER OF JMS
SEXUAL VIOLENCE VICTIM

I was in my second year of high school.

[sniffles]

I was doing shopping at a mall in
Causeway Bay with my sister and a friend.

HONG KONG

They approached us by saying
that they were college students.

Then one of them kept on calling me.

Mmm...

She wanted to meet up and talk with me.

[sighs]

Um...

I was having some trouble at school.

I was having some issues.

Basically, I was bullied
all the time at school.

And also...

my parents weren't getting along...

so I was... having a hard time.

I was depressed.

I didn't know why I had to keep on living
or what love really meant.

And that was just...

I was depressed and in a very bad place
because of that.

I had no one to talk to.

[heavy rainfall]

So eventually,

I asked her, "What's the meaning of life?
What is love?"

Then she started to talk to me
about the Bible.

She explained to me that God created
man with a purpose, you know?

That's what they said at JMS,
that our purpose was love.

God... loves us.

He loves us so much
that it can't be put it into words.

The Lord loves us
even a million times more

than any parent loves their child.

Is that clear?

I was so moved when I heard him say that.

I couldn't believe that the possibility
of a love like that existed.

That's how I ended up joining JMS.

I used to drink, meet up with guys...

I used to smoke. All of that.

So...

when I confessed that
I used to live like that,

he told me to worship
the Lord with a pure heart

because he loves me, and I was his bride.

Always keep yourself pure.

You must be clean and chaste.

And your spirit must be pure as well.

Is that clear?

[Maple] I thought that
because I had been forgiven...

and therefore had become
a pure person again... [laughs]

...that I...

had become a pure...

bride of God as well.

[Do-hyeong] Again, we heard that he'd be
extradited from China to Korea soon,

at the request of our government.

You see, we didn't anticipate
that situation,

because being handcuffed,
arrested and then...

investigated and questioned...

PASTOR KIM GYEONG-CHEON
EX-VICE-PRESIDENT OF JMS

That wasn't something
we were prepared for.

[woman] When Jeong was brought
to Korea after getting arrested in China...

FORMER MEMBER
ANTI-JMS ACTIVIST

...his past indictments were uncovered,

so the authorities scheduled
a criminal trial.

GWANAK-GU, SEXUAL as*ault

HOTEL IN BUSAN, SEXUAL as*ault

WOLMYEONGDONG (HQ), SEXUAL as*ault

WOLMYEONGDONG (HQ), GROUP SEX

JEONG'S HOUSE IN SEOUL, SEXUAL as*ault

YEONGDONG CHURCH,
HEOILA CONDO IN GYEONGJU, SEXUAL as*ault

KUALA LUMPUR, SEXUAL HARASSMENT

HONG KONG,
ANSHAN, LIAONING, SEXUAL as*ault

I tried so hard to resolve
his legal issues.

I even... took my house's down payment
and gave it to the attorneys.

I met up with the victims
to get them to settle.

And I tried to hire a law firm
to obtain his acquittal.

They followed me and asked me to settle

even before Jeong Myeong-seok
was arrested and extradited.

And after the trial started,
I guess they were more desperate,

because they followed me home.

They said they would pay
me half a million dollars,

then they offered a million,
then even a blank check.

NOVEMBER 2000
VICTIM'S COURT TESTIMONY

[man] Is it true that
during the first trial,

an alleged bodyguard of Jeong Myeong-seok

sat in the corner of this courtroom
and tried to intimidate you?

[woman] Yes. He kept staring at me.

[man] Is it also true that Jeong
Myeong-seok has ordered his bodyguards

to catch you and threaten to k*ll you
and your sisters?

[woman] Yes, that's true.

They told us they would k*ll us
if they caught us.

I remember one person ended up dropping
out, but the remaining were relentless.

He was sentenced to six years
in prison at the first trial.

VERDICT: SEXUAL as*ault, r*pe,
FORCED AND QUASI-FORCED MOLESTATION

THE DEFENDANT SHALL BE SENTENCED
TO SIX YEARS IN PRISON

[unsettling music]

[no dialogue]

[muffled groans]

KIM DO-HYEONG ANTI-JMS ACTIVIST, PROFESSOR
OF MATHEMATICS AT DANKOOK UNIVERSITY

While the victim from Hong Kong testified
about the sexual as*ault she suffered,

this b*stard suddenly cried,
"I can't breathe!"

Then he made gagging noises.

He was foaming from the mouth.

[moans]

Then he started convulsing.

DECEMBER 4, 2008
IN THE APPEALS COURT

[woman] They even called an ambulance,
but the paramedics examined him

and said there was
absolutely nothing wrong with him.

We thought his blood pressure
had risen or something,

but everything was normal.

So the prosecutor asked the attorneys,

"Are you... putting on a show for us?"

Seriously, what kind of a Messiah is that?
He's such a coward.

KIM HONG-IL
ANTI-JMS ACTIVIST

He's useless. How could anyone
believe anything he says and does?

2008, INTERROGATION OF CRIMINAL SUSPECT
JEONG MYEONG-SEOK

Q: IS IT TRUE THAT THE THREE WOMEN
WERE NAKED AT THAT TIME?

A: THEY WERE NAKED BUT THEY HAD
A TOWEL COVERING THEIR LOWER BODY

SO ALMOST NAKED

Q: SO IT IS TRUE
THAT YOU WERE WITH THREE NAKED WOMEN

WHILE YOU WERE ALSO NAKED

A: THEY SUDDENLY PULLED DOWN MY PANTS

SO I WAS NAKED,
THEN I JUST HUGGED EACH OF THEM ONCE

Q: DID YOU PENETRATE THEM?
A: I DIDN'T PENETRATE ANYONE

I JUST HUGGED THE WOMEN WHILE I WAS NAKED

Q: ACCORDING TO 30 OUTLINES,
IS IT TRUE THAT YOU EMPHASIZE CHASTITY

AS WELL AS ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS AND SEX?

A: YES, THOSE ARE STRICTLY BANNED

Q: THEN, WHAT YOU DID WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS
GOES AGAINST THAT DOCTRINE, DOESN'T IT?

A: YES, IT DOES

KIM HYEONG-JIN,
PARTICIPANT OF INTERROGATION

They conducted a confrontational
interrogation of Jeong.

And during the questioning,
he got down on his knees

with his palms together and begged,

saying, "I'm so sorry, sir.
Please forgive me."

And as I saw him there,
kneeling and crawling,

I thought it was absurd.

[man] Did he really beg with his hands?

Yeah, like this.

He got on his knees
in front of the prosecutor,

begging with his hands.

What if you can't see God?

If you can't, just look at me.

You don't need to search for God.
I am God.

I asked, "Are you the Messiah?"

He said, "I never said I was the Messiah."

It was puzzling.
His pronunciation was a mess, too.

So, this man who claimed he was
the Messiah to r*pe those women

denied calling himself the Messiah
when he was put on the stand,

and even said that he wasn't the Messiah.

PASTOR KIM GYEONG-CHEON
EX-VICE-PRESIDENT OF JMS"

I mean, he did call himself the Messiah.

He called himself the groom.

That's why we worked so hard for him.

It didn't make sense
to deny being the Messiah.

[dramatic music]

When he said that he was not the Messiah,

we thought, "If he's not,
then what are we?"

"We gave him our bodies,
hearts, and love."

"We followed him for years."

"He can't just say that he's
not the Messiah."

I learned a woman jumped
off of her apartment building.

She was in the photography
department of the church.

Saying that he was not
the Messiah at that point

could lead to deaths.

The Supreme Court confirmed the ten-year
sentence for Jeong Myeong-seok,

president and leader of JMS,
who had been arrested

for sexually assaulting
his female followers.

Aaah!

Honestly...

I hoped he'd get 20 or 30 years in prison.

There are so many victims.

When Jeong Myeong-seok was sentenced

to serve ten years in prison,

I remember thinking
he would either die in prison,

or maybe, if he were to get out,

he wouldn't be able to be a pastor anymore

and that JMS would dissolve too.

[woman] As soon as he got back to Korea,
he spent ten months

transcribing the messages, proverbs,
and psalms

given to him by a saint in China.

Then he lay on the cross,

praying or the sins
of all the people of this era.

JEONG MYEONG-SEOK'S VOICE

When I was there, I spent my time

spreading joy to the world
and fighting off evil.

Because I was following God's will
in bearing the sins of all mankind,

it was completely worthwhile.

I love leading people to salvation.

Basically, he thinks it's unfair
that he ended up in prison for ten years.

He considered his electronic anklets
to be a burden.

I didn't try to find out
who he really was.

The followers said that it was all lies.

They said that the victims
were selling out... the Lord.

And I believed them,

like an idiot.

INMATE NUMBER 1178

[Gyeong-cheon] His inmate number at
Daejeon Correctional Institution was 1178.

PRAYER AT 1 AM

He said that if you pray at one a.m.,
at one p.m., and then at seven p.m...

PRAYER AT 1 PM
PRAYER AT 7 PM

your life will be eight times better.

LIFE EIGHT TIMES BETTER

Also, the total length of the Korean
peninsula is 1,178 kilometers.

Finally, Jeong Myeong-seok's
birthday is March 16th.

He said March 16th is for John 3:16,

which reads, "For God so loved the world
that He gave His one and only Son."

Therefore, Jeong Myeong-seok is Jesus.

[Maple] She asked me to go
to a hotel with her to go swimming,

and told me to bring my bikini.

So I brought my bikini with me.

She said, "Let's take some pictures
to send to the Lord and then swim."

I was a bit surprised,

but nobody else seemed bothered by it.

So I just took the pictures in my bikini.

Because they were for the Lord,
who loved me.

PICTURES SENT TO JEONG MYEONG-SEOK
WHILE HE WAS IN PRISON

This is me. This is how the so-called
"stars" sent their pictures to him.

AN AUTOGRAPH FROM JEONG MYEONG-SEOK
WHILE HE WAS IN PRISON

And look, he signed it himself.

Even in prison, Jeong received pictures
of his female followers in bikinis,

and when he saw a woman that he liked,
he'd make her come visit him.

FRONT OF DAEJEON CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

Over there...

You go in there, and you show them
your passport or your official ID.

Back then, we were all so excited

because we were going to go meet our Lord.

[poignant music]

I cried because I was so moved.

I cried so much there.

I was just so thankful
that I was able to see him.

Not everybody in the world
got to do it, you know?

I thought it was a great opportunity
given to me by God.

There's an apartment
complex near the prison.

I went there two or three times.

From the terrace,
you can see this one spot in the prison.

Every day, at one p.m.,
Jeong Myeong-seok came out to exercise.

I used to stand on the terrace
and pick up a mop.

I would rub it on the window in
a wavy motion over and over again,

so Jeong Myeong-seok could see it
and know that we were there.

One time, I was there

and he wrote on the wall

"Maple," with his hand.

And when he did that,

I was so moved, I cried.

[sniffles]

[sighs]

Dear God.

Our Lord is suffering so much there

for all of us...

for all of mankind...

and for all of our sins...

I'll spread the Word to more people.

So, please,

let the Lord get released soon.

[man] Jeong Myeong-seok, the leader
of JMS, the Christian Gospel Mission

was released after serving
ten years in prison.

Mr. Jeong will have to wear
an electronic anklet for seven years.

It felt like some kind of vermin
had escaped from the zoo.

Like a monster that was far more
dangerous than a tiger or a bear

had broken out of its cage
and into the world.

[ominous music]

SEX OFFENDERS

JEONG MYEONG-SEOK

SERVED TEN YEARS IN PRISON
PUBLIC INFORMATION MADE PUBLIC

AND A NOTICE OF PROXIMITY
TO NEARBY RESIDENTS FOR TEN YEARS

JEONG MYEONG-SEOK
JINSAN-MYEON, GEUMSAN-g*n

- [man 1] Thank you!
- [cheering and applause]

- [Myeong-seok] I want a better reaction.
- [man 2] Okay!

- [Myeong-seok] Come on!
- [group] Praise!

If you don't respond,
you're gonna be a rebel!

- [group] Amen!
- [yelling]

If you're gonna do it,
you have to do it right!

Or don't do it at all!

- [group] Yes!
- [woman] Yes, Lord!

Did you hear the Lord's voice?

[group] I hear!

It's a 6,000-year-old history. So answer!

- [group] Amen!
- Answer!

- [group] Yes!
- [woman] I'm sorry, Lord!

There's no need to fear death!

[group] Yes!

Get a grip and move forward!

- [crowd] Amen!
- [group] We will!

- [cheering]
- [man] Yes!

[in Korean]
♪ It is the working of rapture ♪

♪ And the working of love ♪

♪ With God and the Holy Spirit ♪

♪ I will do it ♪

- ♪ Without any regrets ♪
- [crowd cheering]

[upbeat pop music]

[in Korean]
♪ You are the very best, my Lord ♪

[crowd] ♪ The best, the best, the best ♪

♪ You are our one and only Lord ♪

[crowd] ♪ You're the only one... ♪

[Maple] I remember I sang and danced
at a lot of official events to help.

I did it to give him glory.

Jeong Myeong-seok
loves to make people sing.

He made me sing, too,

and people really enjoyed my shows.

So, Jeong said, "She's pretty good
at singing, appoint her as a singer."

[woman on video]
They're enthusiastic cheerleaders!

We have two of them right here.

[lively pop music]

[in Korean] ♪ Rise and shine your light ♪

But it was so exhausting.

I begged them to stop making me sing,

so they told me
that I should be the news anchor. [laughs]

I pray that you will all bring peace
on Earth and glory to the Lord.

Providence News, Jeong Soo-jeong.

Jeong Myeong-seok came up with that name.
Jeong Soo-jeong.

Since we came to this history
receiving the greatest...

I did a lot of things
during those ten years.

I did some modeling
and street missionary work.

Later, I also served
as a probationer and a pastor.

I pray that the flames of the Holy Spirit
will be given to us this year.

[congregation responds]

[echoing] My Lord!

My Lord!

[woman, in English] In terms of

fame inside of Providence, then yeah.

AMY
FORMER JMS FOLLOWER

She was one of the more famous members.

One of the first times I learnt about her...

[clears throat]
...JMS had just come out of prison,

and he brought her up to the stage.

Ah, she's really, um... loved by him.

[laughs] Like, she's really, uh...
really loved by God.

[Maple speaking Korean]

[interpreter] When I was a new member,
it was pretty hard

to love such a weird old man,

so I used
to pray for three hours every day.

I begged the Lord...

[sighs]...to please help me
love Jeong Myeong-seok.

[thoughtful music]

[Myeong-seok] Whoa!

[woman] Whoa.

- [Maple] It's cool!
- [Myeong-seok] Let's go.

- We'll come back later, get on.
- [woman] Hurry, get on the cart.

[laughter]

[clapping]

MAPLE

- [cheering]
- [woman] Isn't this fun!

[Maple] Come on!

JEONG MYEONG-SEOK

[woman] The Pastor's the best!

Wow, the Pastor is the best!

- You're the best!
- [cheering]

[Maple] You're the best!

[Maple] Once, he sent me a letter
while he was still in prison.

It read, "When I get out,
you can sit next to me on the golf cart."

And right after he got released,

the theme for one of his Sunday sermons
was "Keeping my promises."

That day, he actually
let me ride next to him.

And I thought,
"Wow, he really is the Lord!"

"He made that promise so many years ago."

"He's finally keeping that promise today."

[laughs]

But...

when I think about it now...

I was such an idiot.

We were near Wolmyeongdong, but he wanted
me to come to Cheonggiwa all by myself.

CHEONGGIWA: JEONG MYEONG-SEOK'S RESIDENCE
N WOLMYEONGDONG

A woman called me and said,
"Soo-jeong, he wants you to come over."

Because I was going to the Lord...

[scoffs]...I felt kinda superior, I guess.

No one else had been called there
at the time but me.

Very few people were
summoned to visit Cheonggiwa.

When I got there, J was there too.

I remember the woman saying something
like

"Soo-jeong,
I need to travel to Seoul tonight,

so you'll sleep here next to him."

[sniffles]

"Please let me know if anything happens."

So I agreed.

I took a shower and changed
into the pajamas they gave me.

Then I put a blanket on the floor
and I went to sleep.

I was falling asleep

when he suddenly woke up.

Then he started laughing

and touching my backside,

and he put his hand into my pants.

Then...

He... Jeong Myeong-seok

just put his hand into my vag*na.

[exhales]

And then...

he said, "God has come.
He has given you his love."

"He loves you. He has chosen you."

"But don't tell your father.
He might misunderstand."

After that incident, I got absolutely
confused, so I decided to call J.

I told her about what had happened
to me and asked her what it was.

She said, "Soo-Jeong, can't you
just see that he adores you?"

"And you're so pretty."

But I told her that I found that too hard
to believe, and that I wanted to leave.

Then J said, "Listen to me.
I left you with him on purpose."

"I was trying to give you a chance."

I don't know. A chance to be loved.

Or maybe a chance
to get closer to the Lord.

[scoffs]

[crickets chirping]

He called me to Cheonggiwa again.

He laid his hands on me to pray,

then locked the door.

Jeong Myeong-seok looked at me,

and he said, "You're so beautiful."

He told me to take off my tights.

Then he told me to get down on
all fours on the floor like a cat.

Back then...

I just... obeyed him.

Then...

he penetrated me.

But it didn't go in smoothly.

He just kept forcing himself in,

and I started bleeding.

It was very painful.

[sniffles]

So... [sighs]

I just wanted him to stop.

But after he did that,

he said, "You've been raptured now."

"You're so big... and beautiful down here."

[resonating ambient music]

[sobs]

"You should never change."

[heavy rainfall]

But I endured it all.

Because he was the Messiah.

Because I was afraid I'd go to hell.

I always thought I was the real problem.

So I tried...

so, so hard.

[sniffles]

He's disgusting.

I hate everything about him
from his personality to his looks.

I begged God

so many times and days to give me
the opportunity to love that old man.

I used to punish myself.

[sobbing]

Even though I was in so much pain,

I kept thinking,
"How can you be so ungrateful?"

"How can you think like that
when the Lord loves you so much?"

MAPLE'S SELF-HARM

[Myeong-seok] If you abide by the Lord's
will, you'll never go to hell.

Why would you go to hell?

If you follow me, you won't,
because I won't go either.

AMY, FORMER JMS MEMBER
SEXUAL VIOLENCE VICTIM

[in English] So, my name is Amy.
I'm Australian.

I became a Christian
when I was around 18, 19 years old. And...

then I was brought into Providence,
where I became, uh... a bride.

I was encouraged to come
because I needed to repent,

in person, of a sin that I committed,
uh... while I was in Providence before that.

He kept laughing at me because I sucked.

But, for me, I thought, "Wow, I'm really
close to him. Like, this is great."

JMS' main assistant, and she told me,
"Seonsaengnim wants to meet with you."

And so I was so nervous.
I sudden... I was like, "Me?"

Like, I thought, "Wow. I'm so shocked."

Really nervous, but really excited.

I followed her out of the room,

and then she led me into another room.

A private room
that I hadn't been in before.

And I went behind the divider,
and immediately, of course, I saw JMS.

He went and sat down on a chair.
A very, uh, antique-looking chair.

And he called me over
to stand in front of him.

He lifted up my skirt and he put his hand,

not over my underwear,
but directly into my underwear,

and started feeling my genitals.

I was so shocked,

because up until that point,
I really thought, "This is impossible."

"Is the Messiah allowed to do this?"

And in that split second that it happened,

and those thoughts went in my head,
I immediately looked to Maple. [laughs]

Some "stars" couldn't speak Korean,
so I used to go and interpret for them.

[Amy] She saw, like, I...
I had panic in my eyes.

And I looked at her,
like, she just looked so normal,

and she just said,
"Don't worry, it's fine."

Exactly like that. Like, "Don't worry."

[unsettling music]

[in English] "It's okay. Don't worry."

[interpreter] Like that.

I was acting just like
the other women did before me.

They always acted like nothing
was wrong, so I did that too.

I saw her as an enabler.

Back then, I was brainwashed.

I did it because I thought it was
what I was supposed to do.

Now when I think about it,
I feel so sorry for that girl.

[Yun-ju] By acting like that
was completely normal,

you become both the victim...
and the perpetrator.

It's a vicious cycle.

But while you're in it,
you can't see that.

And when you're out,

you get confused about whether
you were the victim or the perpetrator.

It was so confusing, but I couldn't
talk about it to anybody.

It directly went against
the doctrine that I had been taught.

I thought, "Do I need to reach a higher
level of knowledge to understand this?"

[Amy] And then these are my notes.

[exhales]

"I could barely sleep at night,
thinking about the event,

but I think I know why he did it."

"He was cleaning me,
forgiving me, and making me his."

"I thought about how Jesus did
strange things when he made miracles."

You would think that, you know,

I would have realized what just happened
was actually an as*ault.

That it was a crime.

But I...

I was very, very brainwashed.

[Maple] One day...

one of the "stars" from abroad who used
to live with me sent me a text message.

She said that the other "stars"
had gotten assaulted too,

and that something
must have also happened to me,

since I was so close to Jeong Myeong-seok.

RECORDING OF PHONE CALL
BETWEEN MAPLE AND A FOREIGN FOLLOWER

[woman, in English] I really think
you should leave. Sneak out.

Like, first, go to Hong Kong.

You know?
You have to go back to Hong Kong.

If you think that she's not gonna
let you go back, or that she's gonna,

you know, grab you or anything,
just sneak out.

[Maple] That's when I made the decision
and began planning my escape.

I told them, "I haven't
seen my parents in a year."

"I miss them. I'll be quick."

So, on September 14th

I had to go see him

and say my goodbyes.

[foreboding music]

I got vaccinated that same day,

so I unfortunately had a fever.

[speaking tearfully]

But, all night long,

even though I had a fever
and was feeling terrible...

[gasps]

...he came into my room again.

[sobbing]

He came in and locked the door

so no one else could come in.

He said he wanted to see "that pose"
just one last time.

THE FOLLOWING CONTENT WAS RECORDED
BY MAPLE, A SEXUAL VIOLENCE VICTIM

ON THE DAY OF THE as*ault
AT WOLMYEONGDONG (JMS HQ)

WE REVEAL THIS RECORDING
WITH MAPLE'S CONSENT

[Myeong-seok] Hug me.

Hug me tight.

- [Maple sobs]
- Say you love the Lord.

[Maple] I love you, my Lord.

[Myeong-seok] Touch me here again.
It's bigger.

It's so amazing when you do that.

When a man hugs a woman,
he gets so damn hard.

[slapping sound]

You have such wide hips.

[slapping]

You have wide hips, Soo-Jeong.

[Maple whimpering]

- [Myeong-seok] Do you like that?
- [Maple whimpering]

Did you come? Did you come?

[Maple] Uh-huh...

[Myeong-seok] Are you wet?

[Maple murmurs]

- [Myeong-seok] Are you really wet?
- [murmurs]

[slapping]

[Myeong-seok] How many times did you come?

Three times? 20 times? Four times?

I came, like, 50 times.

Fifty!

You see, God has chosen you like this.

Make sure that nobody touches this.

Because this belongs to the Lord.

[breathing shakily]

Thank you.

[quiet piano music]

I mean...

I was feeling unwell and had a fever.

What he did was disgusting
and so perverted.

If he actually loved me,
he wouldn't have done that.

It was extremely disgusting.

But I was so scared that something bad
might happen to me

that I acted like nothing was wrong.

I kept calling out to the Lord
as he was raping me.

[sobbing]

I asked him. I asked him why I was
going through something like that.

To be honest, after that happened to me,

I thought about k*lling
myself every single day.

And now... I feel like...

I need to do this.

I want to expose the truth

and make sure that...

there aren't any more victims like me.

So, they will do anything
to try and stop members...

So of course they're going to tell them
these things, but...

[sighs] Because they know that...

we have the experiences and the stories

that can ruin their religion.

That can put their precious... Messiah
back into prison.

SEOUL
MARCH 16, 2022

MAPLE, WHO HAD GONE TO HONG KONG,
RETURNED TO KOREA

AFTER FIVE MONTHS
TO ATTEND THE PRESS CONFERENCE

[somber ambient music]

[man] As we announced earlier,

the victim who agreed to share
her testimony with us today

got severe stomach cramps because
she felt under a lot of pressure.

PRESS CONFERENCE OF THE VICTIMS

SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY JMS LEADER
AFTER HIS RELEASE FROM PRISON

She had to stop by a hospital,
so she'll be here later than expected.

[coughs]

[retching]

[moans]

[man] Should we cancel the conference
and go back?

What do you want to do?

- Huh?
- [Maple] Uh...

- [man] What?
- [Maple] I'll do it.

[retches]

[groans and coughs]

Not even God will be able to stop me.

[man sighs]

[somber ambient music continues]

YIP MAPLE YING TUNG HUEN
A VICTIM OF JMS

[Do-hyeong] The first time I visited
a JMS church was in the year 1995.

At that time, Maple would've been
a baby wearing a diaper,

she probably couldn't even walk yet.

Now that baby

is sitting there as another
victim of sexual as*ault.

What are we gonna do about him?

SEXUAL VIOLENCE VICTIM LEE YUN-JU (ANONYM)
JOINED IN 1992 AT 19

I cried so much, I felt so bad.

I should have been the one to do it.

Because she's so young.

If I had stopped him back when
I was assaulted, then that child...

SEXUAL VIOLENCE VICTIM
FORMER JMS REPORTER

...wouldn't have become a victim.

I feel like it's my fault.

SEXUAL VIOLENCE VICTIM KIM JI-EUN (ANONYM)
JOINED IN 1991 AT 16

'Cause I didn't say anything,
and more women were sexually assaulted.

[Maple] Jeong Myeong-seok
is categorically not the Messiah.

And JMS is definitely not a place
that is fulfilling the Lord's will.

[inspiring music]

[woman] Jeong Myeong-seok
is the leader of a religious cult

who was sent to prison for ten years for
sexually assaulting his female followers.

He was released from
prison four years ago.

However, a victim exposed him

for continuing to sexually abuse
his followers since his release.

FROM NOVEMBER 2018 TO SEPTEMBER 2021

MAPLE WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED
MORE THAN TEN TIMES

[Maple] After the press conference
was over...

I heard that videos about me
and even my family

began to spread through the Internet.

They were attacking me for speaking up.

There is a reason why
their words lack credibility.

If they really wanted to speak up,

they should've left the church
and then looked for a solution,

which is the natural
and logical thing to do.

However, that's not what they did.

[birdsong]

[inspiring music continues]

Yes...

I'm just saying you should think about it
[laughs]

Why else would you call your daughter?

Listen, Soo-Jeong,

If you truly want to be that brave

and expose all those crimes,

rest assured knowing that
I'll be by your side all the way,

and that I will give you
my complete support.

I'm so very proud
of your beliefs and courage.

I love you.

[sobs]

You mean everything to me.

[inspiring music swells]

[Maple] There's nothing
they can take away from me.

Right now, I just want...

to win the lawsuit

and get people to believe me,

because I know

that if one person steps
forward and tells the truth,

then... there won't be any more victims.

MAPLE RECENTLY STARTED DRAWING
IN ORDER TO MANAGE HER ANGER

WHICH LED HER TO DISCOVER A NEW TALENT

CHUNGNAM PROVINCIAL POLICE

- [woman] Mr. Jeong, here!
- [man] Mr. Jeong!

[woman] Have you sexually assaulted female
followers since your release in 2018?

What did you mean when you said
that you came 50 times?

Are you the Messiah?

- [man] Please answer the question!
- [woman] He's gone.

JEONG MYEONG-SEOK HIRED A LARGE LAW FIRM
TO CONTINUE TO CLAIM INNOCENCE

BUT THE COURT ARRESTED HIM
ON OCTOBER 4, 2022

A FATHER WHO WAS SO GRATEFUL
HE HAD GOTTEN ATTACKED INSTEAD OF HIS SON

PASSED AWAY ON AUGUST 2, 2022
AFTER BATTLING HIS ILLNESS

PROFESSOR KIM DO-HYEONG,
ALSO KNOWN AS "THE BODY OF SATAN"

PUBLISHED A BOOK
ABOUT HIS 30 YEARS OF ANTI-JMS ACTIVITIES

A FORGOTTEN SEASON 1
A PROFESSOR'S BATTLE, BY KIM DO-HYEONG

ALL INTERVIEWS IN THIS DOCUMENTARY
USE REAL TESTIMONIES

TO PROTECT THE SUBJECTS' IDENTITY
SOME INTERVIEWS HAVE BEEN REENACTED

[inspiring music crescendoes]