Pastor Lee Jaerock's victims were 'unable to resist as they were subject to the accused's absolute religious authority,' says a judge of the Seoul Central District Court

SEOUL, South Korea – A South Korean cult leader was convicted Thursday, November 22, of the multiple rape of 8 female followers – some of whom believed he was God – and jailed for 15 years. Lee, 75, had "maliciously taken advantage of the victims who had absolute faith in his religious authority, and sexually harassed or assaulted the victims who were in their 20s repeatedly for an extended period and even sexually assaulting multiple victims at the same time," according to a press release from the Seoul Central District Court. Lee Jae Rock of the Manmin Central Church, which has about 130,000 followers, was convicted by the Seoul Central District Court of using his authority to commit the rapes, the agency reported. On his own website, Lee says that God has "anointed me with His power" but the Manmin Central Church has been condemned as heretical by mainstream Christian organizations, partly because of its claims to miracle healing. But three of Lee's followers went public earlier this year, as South Korea was swept with a wave of #MeToo accusations, saying he had summoned each of them to an apartment and forced them to have sex. He is reported to have told them he was carrying out "an order from God" - and his victims said they felt compelled to do what he wanted because "he was God". Eight women laid criminal complaints, and the court found that Lee raped and molested them "tens of times" over a long period. They also spoke of his "divine power" with one victim saying she felt like she had no choice but to do what he said. Lee, who denied the charges, stood with his eyes closed as the judgement was read, showing no emotion, while around 100 followers filled the courtroom to overflowing, some of them sighing quietly.
Lee Jae-rock, a South Korean pastor and leader of Manmin Central Church, is sentenced to 15 years in prison over 42 counts of sexual harassment and sexual assault against eight of his followers. According to the Seoul Central District Court, the victims could not resist his advances "due to their absolute faith in the infallibility of the accused."