Legislative & LegalKorea JoonngAng: Cult leader and sex offender refuses to pay professor in false criminal complaint case
Imprisoned group leader Jeong Myeong-seok has rejected a court-ordered settlement in a damages lawsuit filed by a university professor, sending the case back to trial. Jeong, the founder of the Christian Gospel Mission (also known as Jesus Morning Star or JMS) and the subject of the Netflix docuseries In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal, is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence for multiple sex crimes against his female followers.
The dispute stems from 2023 when several women accused Jeong of sexual abuse. In response, Jeong filed retaliatory criminal complaints against his accusers and Dankook University professor Kim Do-hyung, who had been assisting the victims, falsely claiming their allegations were fabricated. After the Supreme Court finalized Jeong’s conviction for quasi-rape and false accusation in January 2025, Professor Kim filed a 30 million won civil suit for the harm caused by Jeong's retaliatory legal actions.
The Daejeon District Court proposed a 5 million won ($3,500) settlement, which Jeong formally rejected in late July. Consequently, the damages claim will proceed to trial. Meanwhile, Jeong faces an additional ongoing trial for allegedly assaulting 15 other followers, and a separate civil suit filed by his victims is awaiting an October ruling.
NY Post: Extremist terror cult 764 revealed as sinister plotters behind bomb threat at SoCal hospital
A bomb threat was made at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena on Friday morning by a caller claiming affiliation with the extremist online cult "764." The caller falsely reported that multiple explosive devices were planted throughout the facility and that two armed suspects were en route in a stolen vehicle to attack people with automatic rifles.
The threat triggered a massive emergency response involving Pasadena police, fire units, and explosives-detection K-9 teams. While patients and staff were not evacuated, the hospital temporarily closed to visitors and diverted incoming rescue ambulances to other medical centers out of an abundance of caution.
Authorities fully cleared the campus shortly after 9 a.m. after finding no explosives or evidence of an attack, officially classifying the incident as a "swatting" hoax. No injuries were reported, and normal hospital operations resumed by mid-morning.
The FBI is currently working with local law enforcement to identify the caller. This hoax occurred just three days after the FBI issued a warning about a nationwide increase in coordinated swatting attacks deliberately targeting hospitals, schools, and government buildings to drain and divert essential emergency resources. No arrests have been made.
Research & AcademicA letter from Janja Lalich.Hello,
I’m writing to encourage all survivors of cults, coercion, and/or extremist groups to please participate in this study. This survey research was formulated by Dr. Natalie Fabert, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University. Dr. Fabert is also a much-appreciated member of the Board of Directors of my nonprofit, the Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion, and is Director of our Continuing Education programs. Many of us know from hearsay, as well as our own experience, that it is very difficult (nearly impossible) to find a therapist who understands the personal and psychological aftereffects of coercive experiences (especially cults). How many times have I heard some version of this: “I explained to her (the therapist) that I had been in the group for 40 years, lost all my money, worked for the leader’s business for free, broke contact with my family and friends, and even recruited my children into the cult. When I was finished, the therapist looked at me and said, ‘Well, why didn’t you leave?’” This kind of uneducated and hurtful reply is exactly why we need this research, so that we have hard evidence of the need for training.
The results of this study will provide us with the type of solid research data that we need to show why it is so crucial that helping professionals get the type of training and education that will provide them with the skills to better serve their clients who may be struggling with the aftereffects of cults or some form of coercive control.
So, please, consider completing this survey. It would mean a lot to me, to all of us at the Lalich Center, and to all survivors who are searching for the kind of care and support they need.
Regards to all,
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
Intervention101.com helps families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families in making the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.
The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan, Joseph Kelly, or Ashlen Hilliard endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.
Please forward articles you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment