[Playback ’06] The Doctrine Is to Have Sex with the Founder… List of the “Joy Group” from a South Korean “Cult” Obtained by This Magazine
Even middle and high school students are required to engage in sexual relations
What was *FRIDAY* reporting 10, 20, and 30 years ago? We take a look back at the topics that made headlines at the time in this series, [Playback Friday].This time, we’ll look at the August 18, 2006, issue —published 20 years ago— featuring the exclusive expos é: “This Magazine’s Scoop: Cult Group ‘Seopri’ Extends Its Clutches to Famous Japanese Female College Students—Photos of the ‘Joy Group’ Beauty List from South Korea’s Sex Cult Led by the ‘Erotic Guru.’”
The South Korean cult religious group “JMS” (official name: Christian Gospel Association; known in Japan as “Seiri”) had been a social issue in South Korea since the late 1990s. While its doctrines were based on the Bible and resembled those of the former Unification Church, it had three unique characteristics.
① The founder, Jeong Myeong-seok (then 61), is the Savior (God).
② “Lover Education” is taught, asserting that corruption begins through sexual relations with Satan and that followers should engage in sexual relations with the founder before that happens.
③ Women who were not eligible for “Lover Education” were married to male believers in a mass wedding ceremony called the “Blessing Ceremony.”
If a female believer—even a middle or high school student—had her photo-included profile sent to the founder, she was required to engage in a physical relationship with him if selected.
In South Korea, in February 1999, Jeong was accused of sexual assault by a former follower and fled overseas. The situation escalated as further accusations continued to surface.Meanwhile, the organization had been proselytizing in Japan since 1987. Unlike in South Korea, it did not face any major issues prior to 2006; by focusing its recruitment efforts on students and alumni of top-tier universities, it quietly increased its membership—(text within 《》 is quoted from past articles; titles reflect those at the time).
The reason “Providence” was able to gain as many as 2,000 followers in Japan at the time was that it conducted its proselytizing activities under the guise of student clubs at top universities such as the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Waseda University, Keio University, and Sophia University. Among them were many female followers who had joined believing it to be a genuine religion.It is said that there was a never-ending stream of women who, unaware of the truth, were sent to the founder and forced into sexual relations.
However, for a select group of female followers chosen to serve in Jeong’s “Joy Group,” having a physical relationship with the founder was considered the ultimate “honor.”This was because, in exchange for vowing never to have relations with any man other than Jeong, they were promised the honorific title “Evergreen” and a high position within the cult. Devotedly worshipping the cult leader, they not only offered their own bodies but also saw it as their mission to send women of Jeong’s preferred type to his hideout in China, where he had fled.
“Superman,” Who Scored 33 Goals in a Single Match
At the time, Jung’s whereabouts were unknown, but it appears that until a few months earlier, he had been living a life of luxury in a lavish mansion with a swimming pool on the outskirts of Anshan, in northeastern China, surrounded by dozens of hangers-on and mistresses. The article described the orgies that took place there as follows:
“According to testimonies from women who were sexually assaulted at this mansion and fled back to South Korea, Zheng would gather multiple followers and flaunt his sexual acts in front of them.
A former female follower who was a victim recounts:
“For female followers undergoing ‘mistress training,’ senior female followers would stay by their side and stoke their competitive spirit.They would pressure them with clever words like, ‘That girl admires the Chairman (*referring to Jeong*) so much that she says she wants to bear his child—what about you?’ and sometimes even engage in lesbian acts to numb their sense of shame.”
It is said that in many cases, because the victims had little sexual experience and were unfamiliar with sex itself, they remained brainwashed until they were sexually assaulted by Jeong.
Furthermore, it is said that Jeong never used contraception during sexual intercourse. While the doctrine of the Providence Church states , “Have intercourse with the leader before having intercourse with Satan and falling into depravity,” wasn’t the leader himself Satan?
Perhaps to enhance the leader’s charisma, the caption accompanying a photo of Jung playing soccer described him in the following superhuman terms:
“〈The President scored a total of 33 goals (in a single match), five of which were scored against goals defended by 12 different goalkeepers. He demonstrated the very essence of his extraordinary skill. During the training camp, the President played in one match and scored a total of 130 goals.〉
It seems like nothing more than a joke now, but the cult’s followers believed in such “legends” with the utmost seriousness.
Currently incarcerated following his second prison sentence
In May 2007, Jeong was arrested by Chinese public security authorities in Beijing and extradited to South Korea. In 2009, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for rape and attempted rape of a female follower and served his sentence.
After completing his sentence and being released in 2018, Jeong reportedly spent his time at a facility designated by the sect as a “holy site.” However, he resumed committing sexual assaults immediately after his release.
He was indicted again for sexually assaulting a female follower from Hong Kong 23 times between February 2018 and September 2021 at a sect facility in South Chungcheong Province in central South Korea, as well as for committing indecent acts against female followers from Australia and South Korea.In October ’24, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
While the founder was repeatedly arrested and imprisoned, “JMS” steadily expanded its organization.It is said to now have millions of followers in 104 countries worldwide, and its domestic membership has reportedly grown to about 5,000. University campuses remain the primary venue for recruitment, where the group targets socially conscious students interested in the SDGs and social contribution.
During the COVID-19 crisis, the group was also observed using social media—beyond the reach of university authorities—as a recruitment tactic. Activities such as sending messages to high school students preparing for college or students about to enter the job market, posing as upperclassmen or alumni to invite them to gatherings, became increasingly active.
