Alex Fong’s Girlfriend Exposes Cult Leader’s Sexual Abuse

Netflix’s new documentary In The Name of God: A Holy Betrayal brought to light the horrific actions of Jung Myung Seok, founder of Christian Gospel Mission otherwise known as Providence or JMS. Since its founding in 1980, the church was widely viewed as a cult. Jung Myung Seok was sentenced to jail in 2008 for raping three Korean female followers while on overseas trips between 2003 and 2006. Completing his 10-year sentence, he was released in 2018. He continued to target victims by brainwashing them under the guise of “God’s love,” and was charged with quasi-rape and sexual assault on October 4, 2022. One of the victims was Alex Fong’s (方力申) new girlfriend, Maple Yip (葉萱).

South Korea defines quasi-rape as sexual intercourse that takes advantage of a person’s unconsciousness or inability to resist. Upon conviction, a prison sentence of at least three years is mandatory.

Jung Myung Seok was accused of sexually assaulting a woman from Hong Kong “A” 17 times between the periods of February 2018 to September 2022 at the Chungnam training center. This woman was Maple Yip. The cult leader also assaulted an Australian woman “B” five times within five months from July 2018. The two victims will be cross examined in court between March to early April.

Brainwashed Victims

When Maple met Jung Myung Seok, she was only 17 years old. As she had a poor relationship with her parents and felt lost in life, Maple was quickly drawn to his charismatic presence. Jung Myung Seok hailed himself as the Messiah, and interpreted the Bible from a scientific perspective. Due to Christian Gospel Mission’s more open approach, the church attracted a large number of college student followers.

Jung Myung Seok was accused of using reasons of “love education and “body examination” to have sex with followers. During intercourse, he would ask the women to call him “God” or “The Lord.” The women were brainwashed to believe they were “God’s brides” and did not realize they were actually sexually assaulted under manipulation.

After the women had physical relationships with Jung Myung Seok, they would be promoted to roles of missionaries, preachers, or reporters. They would then scout tall, young women to be Jung Myung Seok’s next targets to receive “God’s love.” Maple admitted to once bringing a blonde woman to Jung Myung Seok.

Maple’s ex-boyfriend “Mr. A” testified as a witness in court that Maple had confided that she was sexually assaulted by Jung Myung Seok over the years. He believed that she was brainwashed by the cult. “When Maple said that she was going to finally leave Jung Myung Seok, I advised her to record everything because we couldn’t predict what would happen. She recorded the conversation during the last two sexual assaults, copied them, and sent them to me for safekeeping.”

Alex Fong Knows of Maple’s Past

Last year, Alex revealed he was publicly dating Maple. He admitted that he already knew of Maple’s past when they initially met, and his parents also really like Maple as well. Supporting her courage in facing her attacker to prevent other gullible victims from falling prey, Alex plans to accompany Maple to South Korea when she testifies in court.

The case held it fourth trial hearing yesterday. The defense requested 22 witnesses to testify, however many have stated that they were not sexually assaulted, so likely not all will be cross-examined. Jung Myung Seok’s detention period will expire on April 28 and will require sentencing before that date.

Source: [1, 2, 3]