In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal puts forth in detail how Jeong Myeong-seok was able to manipulate people into joining JMS. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Jeong Myeong-seok started JMS in a small studio apartment in Sinchon in 1980. He first evangelized a grad student, and then that student evangelized another student, and the chain continued.
JMS started getting popular in the 1990s as they made their presence felt in the university towns. Back then, none of the churches had college students, but JMS was overflowing with them.
One could notice JMS clubs and JMS evangelists everywhere. Almost 90% of Jeong Myeong-seok’s followers were college students. JMS had around 200 to 250 churches and almost 30,000 members.
The students didn’t have money to contribute to the offerings. Therefore, during breaks, JMS raised money for the poor. They sold peanuts and New Year’s cards to make money for the church.
How was JMS different from other churches?
While the other churches back then were extremely conservative, JMS, on the other hand, was more open-minded. In the 1980s, South Korea was in chaos as it was under the control of a military dictator.
The students were asking questions about the state of the country. Amidst the chaos, the way Jeong Myeong-seok taught the Bible felt like a practical solution to all of the country’s problems.
In JMS, the Bible is purely a metaphor. Unlike many other churches, JMS taught things more scientifically. On top of that, they allowed the followers to go through intense mystical experiences.
How did Jeong Myeong-seok win people over?
Jeong Myeong-seok made a prophecy for every single presidential election. In 1987, he predicted that Roh Tae-woo would win the election, and it came true. Apart from predicting these things, Jeong Myeong-seok also recognized when his followers were going through tough times.
Once, a person who thought his mother is terminally ill came to Jeong Myeong-seok and asked him to save her. Jeong Myeong-seok assured him that she is not going to die, and that woman lived on even though the doctors told them that she won’t.
Jeong Myeong-seok claimed that he has studied medicine for 40 years, and that’s how he heals people. Jeong Myeong-seok soon started calling himself the Messiah, and people agreed. They began putting him above Jesus.
Jeong Myeong-seok calculated the year of Jesus’s Second Coming and claimed to be the subject of this prophecy. At one point, he started calling himself God, and people prayed to him.
The Perfect Adam
Jeong Myeong-seok’s rise in power eventually led to more women joining JMS. These women, who were tall and beautiful, surrounded Jeong Myeong-seok wherever he went.
That’s when he started using his influence to sexually assault women. Apparently, owing to Jeong Myeong-seok’s popularity, meeting him in person was very difficult and rare.
Though it was difficult, as soon as more women joined his church, he started conducting one-on-one sessions, and during these meetings, he sexually assaulted them.
Jeong Myeong-seok explained his actions to these women by claiming that the Lord is ordering him to examine them. He warned them against getting married by telling them that they would get divorced and give birth to deformed babies.
Jeong Myeong-seok aimed to save mankind from corruption by not allowing humans to get intimate. Jeong Myeong-seok explained this concept using a metaphor he invented by referring to Adam and Eve’s story. He believed that only he can get intimate with women because he is the ‘Perfect Adam’.
In 1999, the sexual assault allegations against Jeong Myeong-seok came to light, which soon saw him running overseas. He defended himself by claiming that he is going overseas to continue his work.
Soon, Interpol put him on the Red Notice list of 2003. Even after serving 10 years in prison, Jeong Myeong-seok didn’t change his ways. More of his followers spoke up, and on October 4, 2022, he was arrested again.
Also Read: In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal review: Disturbing and mind-boggling