On April 17th, the Daejeon District Court will determine whether to detain Jung Jo-eun (birth name Kim Ji-seon), the second-in-command of the Christian Gospel Mission (CGM) and accomplice to the sexual assault case involving the founder of CGM, Jung Myung-seok. Jo-eun faces charges of aiding and abetting sexual assault and sexual harassment, among others.
Jo-eun denied the charges against her, claiming during a worship service at the Lord's White Rock Church in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, that she had blocked women from approaching Myung-seok, saying that "women were unable to approach the teacher within a radius of three meters, " and that she had done everything possible to prevent his crimes.
However, among the victims, there were claims that Jo-eun was involved in the selection of women and their enticement to Myung-seok, leading to further accusations of aiding and abetting the sexual assault. In particular, Amy, an Australian national who was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Myung-seok since 2018, disclosed a recorded conversation with Jo-eun to the press, where Jo-eun said, "If you want to repay your debt to the teacher (Myung-seok) and apologize, you have to show that you are working harder. The teacher is happiest when he hears the voice of someone working harder." Amy also added, "Although Jo-eun did not see me being sexually assaulted directly, she knew a lot about it. I think she knew what was going on behind closed doors."
In addition to Jo-eun, five other accomplices, including a member of the World Mission Department, are also being interrogated on charges of aiding and abetting forced sexual assault.
Myung-seok is accused of sexually assaulting a Hong Kong national, A (29 years old), 17 times between February 2018 and September 2021 at various locations, including a training center in Wolmyeongdong, Jinshan-myeon, Geumsan-gun, Chungnam Province. He is also accused of sexually assaulting an Australian national, B (31 years old), five times between July 2018 and the end of that year, on charges of quasi-rape, indecent acts, and sexual harassment.
The CGM has been under investigation since the alleged sexual assaults were reported in 2018, and the arrest of Jo-eun and others involved is a significant step forward in the case. The public's interest in the case is high, and the case's outcome will be closely watched.
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