According to JTBC on March 12, a woman identified as “A”, who was born into a devout JMS family and raised within the sect, had long been a faithful believer. She was so devoted that she once dreamed of being selected as a “star” in Jung Myung-seok’s joy group.
However, A’s faith shattered after watching footage from a documentary that exposed sexual exploitation within JMS. After verifying the original footage through a former member, she decided to leave JMS. The video reportedly showed female JMS followers in a naked state referring to Jung Myung-seok as “Lord“.
In an effort to alert her closest friend within JMS, A shared the footage with her. During their conversation, A told her friend, “There’s even a fully nude video that’s truly sickening. You must watch it later. The footage is even more shocking.” In response, her friend asked “Isn’t that video edited?” and requested to see it.
Driven by a strong desire to help her friend escape from JMS, A sent the footage. However, not long after, she was sued for violating the Special Act on Sexual Violence by distributing illegal recordings. Five women who appeared in the footage, all JMS believers, filed the lawsuit against her.
On March 6, A underwent police questioning regarding the case. Her lawyer stated, “The authorities are concluding that merely sharing the video constitutes a criminal act, and they plan to forward the case to the prosecution.”
Additionally, the former JMS member who initially provided A with the original footage was also referred to the prosecution.
Kim Do-hyung, an activist against JMS, expressed frustration, “This footage serves as evidence of sexual exploitation. It was shared to help someone escape from a cult, yet they are treating it as a crime—this is absurd.”
Regarding this, the police stated, “The investigation is still ongoing.” JMS, on the other hand, claimed, “The lawsuit was filed by members, not the organization.”
