Wolmyeongdong

Wolmyeongdong

Wolmyeongdong

Religious center in South Korea

This article is about a Christian worship center. For the administrative division in North Jeolla, see Wolmyeong-dong, Gunsan.

Wolmyeongdong (also known as Wol Myeong Dong, Korean: 월명동; Hanja: 月明洞; lit. bright moon valley) is a worship and recreation center in Chungnam Province, South Korea. It is also known as the headquarters of the Providence Church, also known as Christian Gospel Mission (CGM) and Jesus Morning Star (JMS). Wolmyeongdong consists of various facilities and buildings on an area of land of about 991,735 square meters in size.

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Development of Wolmyeongdong began in the early 1990s and was led by the Providence founder Jung Myung-seok, a messiah claimant. Wolmyeongdong is Jung Myung-seok's birthplace.[1] Jung was found by Korean courts to have coerced and forced female followers to have sex with him "as a religious behavior meant to save their souls" in 2008 and convicted on four charges of rape.[2] He was subsequently imprisoned for 10 years and released in 2018.[3] In 2022, more women filed reports on alleged rape and sexual assault incidents at the JMS Wolmyeongdong headquarters.[4][5]

As a recreation center, Wolmyeongdong contains various hiking and walking trails, a pond, an art gallery, a rock museum, a sports field, natural spring waters, as well as various other amenities. However, since it is also a temple in nature that has been dedicated to the Holy Trinity, statues of the Holy Son can be seen around the sports field.[6]

Hiking Trails

  • Wolmyeongdong Hiking Trails
  • A place to rest and enjoy the sights along one of the hiking trails in Wolmyeongdong
  • A hiking trail in Wolmyeongdong close
  • A hiking trail in Wolmyeongdong that was paved with stone pebbles
  • A hiking trail in Wolmyeongdong aligned with many pine trees

References

  1. [1]
    Wolmyeongdong - The Founder I was born on February 3, 1945 and was the third eldest of my parent’s seven children. Wolmyeongdong was the mountain valley I was born in.
  2. [2]
    Ser, Myo-ja (2008-08-12). "JMS cult leader is convicted of rape". JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  3. [3]
    "Religious sect leader formally arrested on rape charges". Yonhap News Agency. 2008-02-23. Archived from the original on 2016-01-19. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  4. [4]
    Frater, Patrick (2023-03-03). "Sex Cult Expose: Netflix Defeats Injunction, Airs 'In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal' Documentary on Korean Religious Leaders". Variety. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  5. [5]
    김한주 (2023-03-10). "Prosecution mulls additionally charging JMS leader for sexual assault". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  6. [6]
    Moon, Il-suk (17 May 2010). "Chairman Jung Myung Seok's Natural Temple an "Inspirational Temple"". Breaknews. Archived from the original on 21 Feb 2017. Retrieved 24 Feb 2017.


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