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.
Wolmyeongdong | |
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월명동 | |
Status | Active |
Location | |
Location | Seokmak-ri, Jinsan-myeon, Geumsan County, South Chungcheong Province |
Country | South Korea |
Geographic coordinates | 36°07′29″N 127°22′13″E / 36.124693°N 127.370191°E |
Architecture | |
Founder | Jung Myung-seok |
Completed | 1990 |
Website | |
Wolmyeongdong Official Site Official English Site |
Wolmyeongdong | |
Hangul | 월명동 |
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Hanja | 月明洞 |
Revised Romanization | Wolmyeongdong |
McCune–Reischauer | Wŏlmyŏngdong |
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]