A South Korean cult leader was convicted Thursday of the multiple rape of eight female followers - some of whom believed he was God - and jailed for 15 years. Pastor Lee Jaerock's victims were "unable to resist as they were subject to the accused's absolute religious authority", judge Chung Moon-sung told the Seoul Central District Court.

Lee set up the Manmin Central Church in Guro, once a poor area of Seoul, with just 12 followers in 1982. It has now grown to 1,30,000 members, with a spotlight-filled auditorium, sprawling headquarters, and a website replete with claims of miracle cures.