 In 2008, in response to the rape allegations, Providence pastor Bae Jae-yong said that it was a "distorted rumor that was created by the people who have slandered [Jung]" and that "all fundamental truth will be clarified by [Jung] at the prosecutor's office".According to allegations by ex-Providence members, as of 2012, some 500 to over 1,000 women members were still being groomed for future sexual exploitation by Jung.Known internally as the "Evergreens" (), these female members are said to comprise a "reserve corps" for "sex bribes" (), a term for sexual favors accorded to those exercising power.