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Lawyer Files Criminal Complaint Against Setsuri Cult Member

Kyodo News Service, Japan
Aug. 10, 2006
home.kyodo.co.jp

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Thursday August 10, 2006

CHIBA, Japan, Aug. 10 -(Kyodo)- A lawyer filed a criminal complaint with the police on Thursday against a South Korean woman he says is in charge of the activities in Japan of the South Korean cult Setsuri, or Providence, whose founder allegedly sexually assaulted women members of the group in Japan.

The lawyer, Hiroshi Watanabe, represents some Japanese former members of Setsuri and alleges the 44-year-old woman, who lives in Chiba, unlawfully obtained a visa from the Japanese authorities and conducted missionary work and other activities outside the scope of the visa.

The Chiba police are expected to launch a criminal investigation into the case on receiving the complaint.

The woman is also suspected of abetting assaults allegedly committed by Setsuri founder Jung Myung Seok, 61, who is wanted by South Korean authorities on rape charges, by sending many female followers to him, the lawyer said.

Watanabe said the woman obtained permission to stay in Japan by falsely declaring in March 2000 to the immigration authorities in Chiba that she was employed by a Japanese company as a design planning employee, while she in fact worked for the cult.

Setsuri was established in South Korea around 1980 and became active in Japan around 1987. It is estimated to have more than 2,000 followers, most of them students and other young people.

The cult has no headquarters in Japan and uses apartment buildings as its offices. It allegedly recruits members on campuses by passing itself off as a sports, music or cheerleading club, or a club for would-be fashion models, Watanabe said in late July.

Several senior members of the cult in Japan are believed to have introduced female followers to Jung and taken them to him on several occasions.

Jung raped women after telling them he would do a breast cancer check on them, Watanabe said.