Jeong Back in Korea!

[Peter]

Mmmmm ABC Radio Australia is reporting that Jeong has been extradited.
I haven't heard anything from the Korean end. I wonder if they got the decision mixed up with the actual extradition?
I just sent them off an email, so hopefully we can get to the bottom of this.
If Jeong is back in Korea, I imagine it would be pretty big news,

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2168234.htm

Last Updated 20/02/2008, 22:31:54  


A cult leader accused of raping his female followers has been extradited from China to South Korea after spending nearly nine years on the run.

Jeong Myeong-Seok, believed to be in his early sixties, set up a cult known by his initials of JMS in the late 1980s.

He fled South Korea in 1999, one day after rape allegations against him were broadcast on national television.

In 2001, South Korean authorities charged Jeong with rape.

He was arrested in Hong Kong in 2003 on visa violations, and later fled an extradition hearing.

He was detained by Chinese authorities in May last year on charges that he raped another South Korean follower in China.

[Peter]

Well, he's back!
Damn, if I had of known I would have gone to the airport to say hi,...

PS.. Thanks RB for the research tip!

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/20/asia/AS-GEN-SKorea-Cult-Leader.php


SEOUL, South Korea: The leader of a South Korean religious sect was extradited back from China on Wednesday to face charges of raping female followers.

Jung Myung-seok, 63, leader of the Jesus Morning Star sect, was arrested in China last May after more than six years on the run. South Korean prosecutors knew he fled to China and asked authorities there to arrest him and send him home to face the rape charges.

Justice Ministry official Kim Hye-woong said Jung will face the same charges specified in last year's extradition request.

Local media have reported that Jung allegedly raped followers and forced them to have group sex with him, saying God allowed him all women in the world and warning they would find themselves "in great trouble" if they rejected his demands.

Jung denies the charges, his followers say.

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 Bae Jae-yong, one of hundreds of followers who waited for Jung at the airport, called the charges "a distorted rumor that was created by the people who have slandered him ... all fundamental truth will be clarified by him at the prosecutor's office."

Followers were not able to see Jung because prosecutors placed him in a car on the tarmac.

South Korean television network SBS first reported Jung's alleged wrongdoing in 1999. At the time, thousands of followers protested at the TV station over the report.

It is unclear how many followers remain in the sect.

[Peter]

A find by RB who is standing guard over at Jeong's wikipedia page which just hours ago came under attack from a North American member

Great article:

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2886496

Cult boss extradited to face sex raps 

February 21, 2008
 
 Cult boss extradited
A Korean cult leader charged with sexually abusing his female followers and embezzling the religious group¡¯s money was extradited from China yesterday, nine years after he fled the country.

Jung Myung-seok, the 63-year-old founder of Jesus Morning Star, or JMS, arrived at Incheon International Airport at 5 p.m. yesterday from Dalian, China. A crowd of about 1,000 gathered at the airport, consisting of Jung¡¯s followers and members of anti-JMS groups.

Jung was taken directly to the Seoul Central Public Prosecutors¡¯ Office from the airport. Prosecutors began questioning Jung after his arrival regarding nine complaints filed against him on charges that include embezzlement and sexual assault.

After learning that Jung had escaped to China in November 2006, South Korea officially requested China to arrest and extradite him under a bilateral treaty. Jung was caught in Beijing on May 1, 2007 and Chinese authorities approved the extradition on Jan. 7.

As the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper reported that Jung would be extradited here, about 40 JMS followers broke into the Dong-A Ilbo building in central Seoul on Jan. 14, throwing chairs in the newsroom and demanding that the newspaper apologize for publishing the article.

The JMS followers claimed that Jung was investigated by police several times in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and left the country after charges against him were dropped.
According to police, Jung had been on the run in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, China and other countries since 1999 after the Korean media reported allegations that he raped followers and embezzled the religious group¡¯s funds.

In 1999, SBS aired an investigative report about the sexual abuse allegations. After a series of such reports, Jung fled overseas, but accusations of sexual abuse also surfaced in other countries as he continued to set up branches of his cult abroad. In 2001, he was investigated by Taiwanese authorities on rape charges, causing him to flee the territory.

In 2003, he was arrested in Hong Kong for staying there illegally, but released on bail. The same year, Interpol, the international police organization, included him on a list of fraud and sexual crime suspects.

[Peter]

A couple more:
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/s-korean-cult-leader-extradited-from/n20080220055409990047?ecid=RSS0001

And there is a news video report available here:
http://www.aptnvideo.net/pages/browse/player/player_frameset.jsp?item=83457

But it's a site that distribute videos for the media.
I just sent a request to download and upload the video, I'm not sure if we qualify, but it was worth a shot.
I also work for the Keimyung Gazette, so that might qualify

Some stills from the vid are available, as is a description which I'll copy and paste:

http://www.aptnvideo.net/pages/browse/player/player_frameset.jsp?item=83457

SOURCE: AP TELEVISION/POOL

STORY NUMBER: 554980

DATELINE: Incheon, 20 Feb 2008

LENGTH: 01:44



SHOTLIST:

POOL
1. Wide of an aircraft taxing on airport tarmac
2. Zoom in to Jung Myung-seok (wearing a mask) walking down stairs with prosecution officials
3. Top shot, zoom in to Jung walking towards car and getting in
4. Cars driving away

AP Television
5. Close-up of electronic arrivals board showing arrival of Jung's plane
6. Wide of gathered Jesus Morning Star followers and police officers at Incheon International Airport
7. Various of Jesus Morning Star followers
8. SOUNDBITE: (Korean) Bae Jae-yong, follower of Jesus Morning Star:
"He has never been directly involved with the finances as he manages the congregation, so his embezzlement charge is just a groundless rumor. The rape charge is also a distorted rumor that was made by the people who have slandered him. Everything is different from the truth, and all fundamental truth will be clarified by him at the prosecutor's office."
9. Various of Jesus Morning Star followers
10. Tilt-down pan from electronic board to followers

STORYLINE:

The leader of a homegrown South Korean religious sect was extradited back to Seoul on Wednesday from China on charges of raping female followers.

Jung Myung-seok, the 63-year-old leader of the Jesus Morning Star sect or JMS, was arrested in China in May last year after more than six years on the run.

South Korean prosecutors had asked China to send him home to face rape charges.

Kim Hye-woong, a Justice Ministry official, said Jung faced the same charges as before.

Local media have reported that Jung raped followers and forced them to have group sex with him, saying God allowed him all women in the world and warning they would find themselves "in great trouble" if they rejected his demands.

South Korean media also reported that Jung had claimed to have received a "special revelation" from God, and that many female members of his cult were ordered to undress for a "health check" and have sex with him to wipe off their sins.

Jung denies the charges, his followers say.

Bae Jae-yong, one of hundreds of followers who waited for Jung at the airport, called the charges "a distorted rumor that was created by the people who have slandered him."

"Everything is different from the truth, and all fundamental truth will be clarified by him at the prosecutor's office," he said.

Followers were not able to see Jung as prosecutors placed him in a car on the tarmac.

Jung's case became known after Korean television network SBS first carried a report on his alleged wrongdoing in 1999.

At that time, thousands of followers protested at the TV station over the report.

It is unclear how many followers the sect now has.

Jung is also known by the names of Joshua Jung, Joshua Lee Jung, Joshua Lee, and JMS.

[Peter]

Thanks to www.antijms.net. a couple of video news reports:

http://news.sbs.co.kr/section_news/news_read.jsp?news_id=N1000379307

http://sports.kbs.co.kr/article/society/200802/20080220/1513028.html

A lot of cops present... oh I wish I had of gone there!

[scarlett]

Finally, after so many years. One thing is for sure, JMS regular members have no clue this has happened. But they probably have been called to an all night prayer for Jung for unspecified "persecution" from the "weeds". Which they will happily go to and spend hours praying for something they know nothing about.

Hey Capt. can we get the footage on Youtube? It might get a wider audience if it's posted on this site. Who knows, maybe some JMS members will stumble upon it. 

[Peter]

Hey Capt. can we get the footage on Youtube?

We sure can! 

And there's a couple more over at antijms:

http://antijms.net/home2/bbs/board.php?bo_table=07&wr_id=20674

[Peter]

The Korea Times website isn't working for me now, but this should link to a new English article:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/113_19368.html

Update: It works for me now..nice article:

Jung Myung-seok, the religious cult leader of the group JMS, which is named after his initials, who is charged with embezzlement and sexually abusing his followers, was extradited to Seoul Wednesday night, ending nine years of exile overseas.

Chinese Police, who caught him last May, handed the alleged sex offender over to the Korean government at Incheon International Airport. He was taken to the Seoul Correction Bureau.

He'd been on Korean wanted lists since 1999 (and the Interpol Red Notice since 2004) after fleeing the country after charges of rape emerged. While overseas, he made constant headlines for allegedly raping female devotees in various countries.

He now faces investigation. Chinese police initially arrested him for raping Chinese women and there was news that Japanese and Taiwanese women are among the list of victims. Aside from the Supreme Court's rape charge in January, he is involved in eight other embezzlement, sexual assault or fraud allegations.

Investigating and charging the leader of more than 200,000 believers worldwide may not be easy. There are constant petitions presented to the judicial body asking for pardons.

People holding signs claiming Jung's innocence are often found in front of prosecutors' offices and courts. On Wednesday, more than 1,000 JMS members waited to see their leader.

Moreover, there are people reportedly willing to cover-up Jung's whereabouts and crimes. Last year, the National Information Service sacked a staff member for allegedly looking into immigration records of anti-JMS activists and handing it over to the church.

Weekly Sisa Journal reported in 2006 that there are many JMS devotees in the military, police and prosecution and that some of them have allegedly assisted Jung in evading police and covering up his wrongdoings. They interfered with investigations and international efforts to track down the sex offenders' whereabouts, it said.

JMS was established in the early 1980's, named after Jung Myung-seok's initials. He alleges Jesus failed in his role as Savior and that the doctrine of resurrection is false. But the spiritual one works, he says, through him, the self-alleged living messiah.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr

[WasNotWas]

Good news indeed. 

Is anyone else noticing the irony that he covered his face in exactly the same way that those girls did at the news conference.....I seem to remember Naomi Kim making quite a big thing about that....

[rb]

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20080220/tap-as-gen-skorea-cult-leader-601b9ad.html
http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/428705
http://www.pr-inside.com/south-korean-religious-sect-leader-extradited-r447302.htm (Austria!)

[Peter]

Good news indeed.  

Is anyone else noticing the irony that he covered his face in exactly the same way that those girls did at the news conference.....I seem to remember Naomi Kim making quite a big thing about that....

Hilarious!  I just had a peek at her blog, no mention yet of the extradition or the mask.

I would love to know what Jeong said to the police...I wonder if he said, "The weeds are a trap that leads to destruction!"

The Weeds Are A Trap! Take 2

[Peter]

Hey Capt. can we get the footage on Youtube? It might get a wider audience if it's posted on this site. Who knows, maybe some JMS members will stumble upon it.

There you go Scarlett,... Uhmmm, I was in kind of a silly mood!  

The Extradition of Jeong Myeong-seok 정명석

[rb]

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/CaptPorridge/610x.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/CaptPorridge/02.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/CaptPorridge/03.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/CaptPorridge/04.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/CaptPorridge/05.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/CaptPorridge/06.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j181/CaptPorridge/07.jpg

The photos are from Reuter's photos. Reuter is the major British news agency (similar to AP).
Original source: http://www.daylife.com/search/photos/all/1?q=jesus+morning+star

[rb]

I guess this relates to some technicality where he has to be arrested again but by Korean police:

Religious sect leader formally arrested on rape charges

혻 혻 SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- A fugitive South Korean religious sect leader has been formally put under arrest on rape charges, prosecutors said Saturday, days after he was extradited from China.

혻 혻 Jeong Myeong-seok, 62, the leader of Jesus Morning Star or JMS named after his initials, was arrested in China in May last year at the request of the Seoul government. He was extradited to Seoul last week.

혻 혻 Officials from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said Jeong was put behind bars for trial after a Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for him on charges of raping a number of his followers.

혻 혻 The self-proclaimed messiah has been on the run since 1999 after a South Korean television station aired a program alleging that he raped many women who followed him. He was once detained in Hong Kong police Hong Kong in 2003 on visa violations but fled to China where he was arrested.

혻혻 In 2003, two women, a South Korean and a Japanese, filed a criminal suit with a Seoul court against him, claiming that they were raped by Jeong.

혻혻 Last month, South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in favor of the two women, ordering Jeong to pay them 10 million won (US$10,500) and 5 million won, respectively, in compensation.

혻혻 The court said Jeong forced the followers to have sex with him, saying that is a religious behavior meant to save their souls.

혻혻 hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2008/02/23/56/0302000000AEN20080223001200315F.HTML

[rb]

United Press International article (UPI is an American news agency like AP but smaller, apparently owned by Moon)

S. Korean sect leader facing rape charges

Published: Feb. 23, 2008 at 2:49 PM

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The spiritual leader of a South Korean religious sect is facing charges for allegedly raping several followers, prosecutors said Saturday.

Prosecutors said Jeong Myeong-seok, the 62-year-old leader of the Jesus Morning Star cult, allegedly forced several female followers to have sex with him, telling the women it would save their souls, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The cult leader was extradited to South Korea from China last week after being arrested in May 2007 at the South Korean government's request.

The rape allegations first came to light in 1999 when a TV program detailed Jeong's alleged actions. Following that broadcast, Jeong fled the country and reportedly remained on the run until his arrest.

A South Korean woman and a Japanese woman filed a criminal suit in 2003 against Jeong for allegedly raping them and the pair has since been awarded financial compensation by the South Korean Supreme Court.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/02/23/s_korean_sect_leader_facing_rape_charges/8181/