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Joshua Jung Myung Seok (Korean 정명석 Jung Myung Seok; or Jeong Myeong Seok; 16 March 1945 – ) is a South Korean painter, poet, author and Vietnam War veteran. He designed and constructed the Wolmyeongdong Natural Temple and is the President of the Christian Gospel Mission (Providence). He is also known by the names of Joshua Jung, Joshua Lee and Pastor Joshua. He was born and raised in Wolmyeongdong-gil, in Geumsan County, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea.

From birth, Jung’s family was impoverished following Korea’s liberation from Japanese occupation. In his early years, he worked in farming and was afforded only an elementary school education. At the age of 20, he was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War.

Jung served 2 terms in the Vietnam War, from 1966 to 1969. In 1967, he was awarded the Citation of Distinguished Service in War by the Commander of the ROK Army Forces in Vietnam and Chief of Staff of the ROK Army, General Chae Myung-shin.

In 1978, Jung founded the Christian Gospel Mission. Thereafter in 1989, Jung designed and built the Wolmyeongdong Natural Temple.

In 1999, the media published news of sexual assault allegations against Jung. In 2008, Jung was convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to 10 years in prison, in South Korea. Jung maintained his innocence. Since his conviction, South Korean investigative reporters have released articles examining the potential unfairness of the trial and media frenzy. In 2012, new allegations brought against Jung were fully dismissed because the court found no evidence to support the charges. In 2013, allegations accusing Jung of receiving preferential treatment in prison were made. Those charges were also dismissed by the South Korean Minister of Justice.

While imprisoned, Jung continued to write sermons. He exhibited many of his paintings and calligraphy works both in Korea and other nations. He has authored and published literature, including two bestselling poetry books. He is the winner of the 2013 Seoul Literature Award.

Ancestry
Jung Myung Seok was born on 16 March 1945 (3rd Feb Lunar Calendar) in the village of Wolmyeongdong-gil, in Geumsan County, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. He was the third son of Jung Pal-seong (father) and Hwang Kil-rye (mother). He grew up in a family of 7 children.

Education and Poverty
Jung's family lived in poverty, at a time when South Korea had just been liberated from Japanese rule. There was a severe shortage of food and insufficient land for farming. Jung and his family survived off arrowroots and watery porridge Due to poverty, Jung could only afford an elementary school education, from which he graduated in 1959.

Religious Life
Jung sought the existence of God from the age of 6. He later learned about Jesus when he attended elementary school, where he was taught about the Bible. Jung received his first Bible from Christian missionaries and became an avid reader of the Bible. He was baptized by William Alderman Linton, an American Presbyterian missionary, at the age of 14. Jung was a Sunday School teacher at his local village Church, the Suk-mak Church in Sukmak-ri. In his late teens, he spent his days farming with his parents to support his family’s living, and by night, he read the Bible and prayed in nearby Daedun mountains.

Military Service (1966 - 1969)
During the Vietnam War, Jung was a Corporal, and served 2 tours of duty in the Republic of Korea Army’s 9th Division (the White Horse Division), 28th Regiment, 1st Battalion, 3rd Company, 1st Platoon, 2nd Squad.  After his first tour of duty, Corporal Jung was awarded the Citation of Distinguished Service in War on 13 October 1967 by General Chae Myung-shin.

Enlistment and Deployment to the Vietnam War
Jung was drafted on 22 February 1966, when he was 20 years old. He was part of the US-led coalition against the Communist North Vietnamese and South Vietnamese insurgents. He, along with the 9th Infantry Division, was deployed to Vietnam in August 1966.

First Tour of Duty
During the first tour, Corporal Jung fought in operations- notably, he fought in the Operation Hong Kil Dong which lasted from 9 July to 26 August 1967. A few days before Operation Hong Kil Dong commenced, the South Korean 3rd Company had a skirmish with the Viet Cong Soldiers, while retreating from Chai Mountain (Nui Chap Chai), North-West of Tuy Hoa, as the sun was setting. The next day Corporal Jung and his comrade Corporal Yoo Gun Tae were sent to Chai Mountain to check for any surviving Viet Cong soldiers. There, Corporal Jung refused to kill the Viet Congs. Instead, he captured a Viet Cong soldier and brought him alive as a prisoner to his army base. However, the prisoner was later killed by the platoon's commander.

Saving a prisoner's life during Operation Hong Kil Dong
On the 6th day of Operation Hong Kil Dong, Corporal Jung captured and imprisoned another Vietcong soldier. While in captivity, the prisoner revealed the location of the headquarters of the North Vietnamese 95th Regiment. This prevented a possible ambush on Corporal Jung’s platoon. Jung faced resistance from his platoon commander and comrades, due to his refusal to kill enemy captives. Keeping the enemy captive was considered a burden on resources. However, Jung convinced his commander and comrades to keep the prisoner alive for obtaining intelligence. Eventually, his platoon commander, Choi Hee Nam, arranged for the prisoner to be transferred via helicopter to the South Korean 28th Regiment Headquarters. Intelligence obtained from the prisoner enabled the 1st Platoon to decisively defeat the Vietnamese 95th Regiment Headquarters. This was one of the highlights of Operation Hong Kil Dong.

Completion of Duty & Return to Korea
Jung returned to Korea in mid September 1967, soon after the conclusion of the Operation Hong Kil Dong.

Citation of Distinguished Service in War
Corporal Jung was awarded the Citation of Distinguished Service in War (dated 13 October 1967) by the Commander of the ROK Army Forces in Vietnam and the Chief of Staff of the ROK Army, General Chae Myung-shin. Corporal Jung was commended in the citation for risking his life, going beyond the call of duty, to execute his assigned mission, and for contributing to the ROK Army’s responsibility over a key part of the defense line against the spread of communism.

Heavy Losses by 3rd Company
After Corporal Jung left Vietnam and the 3rd Company suffered heavy losses, especially during the Ninh Hoa battle in October 1967. During the battle, the Vietnamese military entered Ninh Hoa and established control. They killed 20 of the men from the ROK 3rd Company’s Firearms Platoon, which was half of the entire platoon. Later, in an operation which started on 12 Feb 1968 at Hon-ba Mountain, the 3rd Company 1st Platoon suffered 3 deaths. The next day, the 3rd Company 2nd Platoon 2nd Squad’s Staff Sergeant was killed. The morale of Corporal Jung’s 3rd company deteriorated during this period, due to the heavy casualties.

2nd Tour of Duty
On 18 February 1968, Corporal Jung returned to the 3rd Company on his second tour of duty. Upon his return, the string of casualties came to an end. Shortly after returning to Vietnam, Corporal Jung’s company fought in the 6th Do-Gae-Bi Operation. The 3rd Company, 1st Platoon was successful, without any casualty.

Influence
Jung later spoke of his experience of serving in Vietnam; how he realized the terror of death and the meaninglessness of life. He described feeling the intensity of that emptiness to his bones. He acknowledged that it was because of God’s protection that he was able to survive many life threatening situations. His determination to live for God, to share the words of God around the world, stemmed from his time in Vietnam. His experience of the War was one of the motivations that led to his ministry later in life.

Post-Vietnam (1970 - 1978)
After Jung returned to his hometown, he used the earnings he accumulated from his Vietnam War service to rebuilt the Sukmak Church building on 20 Jun 1971.

From 1975 to 1978, Jung was involved in the Unification Church, whose teachings have been alleged to resemble Jung's "quite closely".

In January 1978, Jung wrapped up his ascetic life in the mountains. He compiled the original notes that he wrote down and spent the next few months making 1,200 pages of charts. At the end of May 1978, he packed the notes and the charts, and went to Seoul to begin his ministry.

President of the Christian Gospel Mission (1978- )
In June 1978, Jung began ministry in Seoul, which later became the Christian Gospel Mission (CGM). In 1980, Jung founded the Ae-chun Church. (애천교회), which was affiliated with the Methodist Church. In 1982, Jung established the Korean College Student MS Ministry, and registered the Presbyterian Methodist Order a year later in 1983. In 1986, this evolved into the Presbyterian Methodist Organization, with Jung appointed as a director. In 1989, it was restructured as the World Youth College Student MS Union. In 1990, it started its own seminary school. In 1996, it was reorganized into the International Christian Union (HLN) after being expelled from the Methodist Order. In October 1999, it was reorganized into the Christian Gospel Mission, with Jung as the current President.

Construction of the Wolmyeongdong Natural Temple (1989- )
Jung designed and built the Wolmyeongdong Natural Temple, together with CGM members. Construction began from 1989. Wolmyeongdong is located in Jinsan-myon of Choong-nam Geumsan-kun. It consists of various facilities and buildings on a tract of land of about 991,735square meters in size.

In the early 1900s, the region was an abandoned remote mountain village. Jung Myung Seok developed Wolmyeongdong into an outdoor temple. Currently, Wolmyeongdong is visited by hundreds of thousands of people annually. Stage performances and sports events are regularly held in Wolmyeongdong. Seasonally, Wolmyeongdong hosts summer retreats, spring flower festivals, autumn rock festivals and winter skiing and sledding activities. These festivals and events are held for young people, children and families.

After Wolmyeongdong was developed, Jung said to his members, ‘Wolmyeongdong was once a pitiful place. Since it has been developed, it has become invaluable. Likewise, I urge all of you to become developed people of great value to God.’

Poetry Accomplishments
After appearing in the monthly magazine "Literary Movement and Trends" (문예사조) in 1995, Jung published five volumes of a series titled Spiritual Poetry. The third and fourth volumes, titled Spiritual Poetry 3- Woman of Poetry and Spiritual Poetry 4- Speaking through poetry, became the first and second best-sellers of the Kyobo Book Centre in 2013.

Ten poems composed by Jung were published in The Encyclopedia of Korean Poetry (2011), which comprises 3,500 poems spanning 100 years of Korean poetry. The encyclopedia commentary stated that Jung’s writing of nature shows that he perceives nature from the perspective of the Creator and His laws of creation. Commentators have also observed that Jung uses poetry to tie the love between Heaven and Earth. Jung has since written more than 3000 poems.

While imprisoned, Jung won the ‘2013 Most Beautiful Person’ Seoul Literature Award for his poetry achievements. Jung’s poetry was considered a revival to the literature of poetry, a dying literary form. The award is presented annually by the Korea University Broadcast and the Seoul Education Broadcast. In the same year, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon won the ‘2013 Most Beautiful Person’ Peace Contribution Award.

In December 2016, Jung published the fifth volume of Spiritual Poetry titled Spiritual Poetry 5- Happiness Comes. The volume contains 77 poems divided into 3 sections titled: ‘Longing’, ‘Life and the Wind’ and ‘With all of my heart’.

Poetry Influences
Critics have surmised that Jung’s childhood and Vietnam War experiences bore strong influences on his poetry. Critics referred to one such experience, in which, shortly after he was born, he contracted a serious illness and became unresponsive. He was assumed dead and almost buried, before he regained consciousness. Another was his service in the Vietnam War, during which his realised the value and futility of life. These experiences added to the uniqueness and earnestness of his poetry.

Author (1998- )
In addition to poetry, Jung has published more than 20 books, which include: a 3-book series titled The Message of Life, a 3-book series titled Words of Salvation and a series of 9 proverb books titled Heaven’s words, My words, an edition of 4 proverb books with illustrations titled Heaven’s words, My words (illustrated version), and a 2-book series  titled Lamplight of the Sun.

Jung published his first book series "The Message of Life" in 1998, which is a compilation of his sermons from 1997 to 1999.

Thereafter, Jung wrote the 3-book series titled “Book of Salvation”- one of his more significant works, which took him six years to complete.The series details the salvation history of God. More than theoretical, it is a book about the practice of faith and obtaining salvation in the current generation. The book covers the topics of heaven, hell and salvation.

Jung has also written over 30,000 proverbs, some of which have been published in the proverb book series titled "Heaven’s words, My words" and the "Lamplight of the Sun".

Artistic achievements
Jung is an active artist. His calligraphy and paintings are exhibited under his pen name ‘Choen Bo’ (천보) in South Korea, England, France, Germany and Argentina. One of his paintings, titled Destiny, received international recognition. 

He has been recognised by international art communities as an internationally renowned artist. He was one of the 15 finalists of the Second Edition of the Great Prize of Painting Center Costa Salguero, from among 350 participants, at Arteclasica 2011.

Artistic Style
Jung endeavors to create an original style of art, inspired by the freedom found within God’s truth. Many of his artworks are of nature: mountains, oceans, the sun, birds, trees and rocks. For his paintings of pine trees, Jung draws them in unique shapes; a pine tree coiling up like a dragon, a pine tree with a brawny appearance, a pine tree standing while firmly rooted to a rock, and a pine tree sitting on the top of a mountain.

His paintings depict the theme of overcoming challenges. This was especially conveyed in his painting of a snail defying a stork, titled 'Destiny'.

He has also drawn a series of Chinese ink wash drawings, harmonizing rocky cliffs that are surrounded by the sea, trees rooted on cliffs, seagulls flying, the crimson sun rising, and people riding on boats.

In addition, Jung writes calligraphy on his paintings. He pictoralizes his signature into objects, and he has written poetry on his paintings in calligraphy.

Media Allegations, Charges, and Conviction (1999- )
(See Full article: Media Allegations, Criminal Charges, and Conviction of Jung Myung Seok)

In 1999, the media published news of sexual assault allegations against Jung. In 2008, Jung was convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to 10 years in prison, in South Korea. Jung maintained his innocence. Since his conviction, South Korean investigative reporters have released articles examining the potential unfairness of the trial and media frenzy. In 2012, new allegations brought against Jung were fully dismissed because the court found no evidence to support the charges. In 2013, allegations accusing Jung of receiving preferential treatment in prison were made. Those charges were also dismissed by the South Korean Minister of Justice.

Awards, honors, and distinctions

 * 1967 “Citation for Distinguished Service in War” for risking his life and going beyond the call of duty to execute his mission in the Vietnam War.
 * 2011 Finalist in Arteclasica Art Exhibition in Argentina for his artwork Destiny.
 * 2011 Featured in The Encyclopedia of Korean Poetry for his contributions to Korean Poetry.
 * 2013 Authored two bestsellers in Kyobo Book Centre titled “Spiritual Poem 3 - Woman of Poetry” and “Spiritual Poem 4 - Speaking through Poetry”.
 * 2013 Seoul Literary Award “Most Beautiful Person” for his poetry achievements.