The biggest Church in the World Pastor, sentenced 3 Years in prison, Pray for him.

[Jackson123]

02/22/2014 10:50
SOUTH KOREA
Scandals and corruption, Yoido mega-church pastor sentenced
The congregation is one of the richest and best-known of the South Korean capital. Its leader, David Yonggi Cho, found guilty of fraud to the tune of 9 million Euros. His son, former chairman of the Yeongsan Christian Cultural Center, sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Seoul ( AsiaNews) - After a lengthy investigation and trial, the Seoul District Court has sentenced the pastor of the Gospel Yoido church - one of the best known Protestant congregations of the South Korean capital - to 3 years in prison and a fine of almost 5 million dollars. The man, David Yonggi Cho, was found guilty of defrauding the church of 13.1 billion won (about 9 million Euros) and tax evasionamounting to 3.5 billion. His son (Cho Hee- hun, former chairman of the Yeongsan Christian Cultural Center) was also sentenced to 3 years in prison: he was immediately jailed, while his father obtained a suspension of 5 years.

The case against the pastor and his leadership began in 2013, when - at the request of his son - Pastor Cho 's church set aside funds to buy 250 thousand shares in the stock market. The shares were quoted at about 35 won each, but they were bought at 87 won leading to a disbursement paid by the faithful amounting to more than 13 billion won. Immediately after the verdict, supporters of the pastor sparked a small riot outside the court destroying reporters' cameras.

The story of the mega- church scandals still seems far from over. On November 30, 2013, a group of 30 "elders" of the congregation reported the pastor and a group of his loyalists for embezzlement and corruption to a value of approximately 500 million US dollars. Ha Sang -ok , who was part of the group for nearly two decades, admits to being involved in some fraud : " In the last 14 years I have seen and done bad things. I tried to convince the pastor to stop, but he paid no attention. His behavior is not that of a Christian, but like that of a guru of a sect".

 

[Jackson123]

Setting the Record Straight on David Yonggi Cho1:30PM
EST 2/25/2014 BOB
RODGERS
David
Yonggi Cho
David Yonggi Cho, pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church in
Seoul, South Korea, has been a personal friend of our family
for more than 40 years. He has stayed in our home, and my
father and I have served on his church growth board for a
combined 38 years. Presently, I serve as president of Church
Growth International of the Americas.
Because of the slant of some
of the media reports, it is important certain details of the
situation be made known. Not only was I present in Seoul
during much of the trial, but there was also information
disclosed during closed-door meetings which has not yet been
made public. I want to share some of this as
follows.
First, the Seoul Central
District Court sentenced Cho, 78, to a three-year prison
term suspended for five years. He had been indicted for
allegedly causing financial losses worth more than $12
million. He was also fined $5 million. He will not have to
serve prison time, but he is on probation.
Second, Cho’s son, Cho
Hee-Jun, 49, was indicted for the same charges. Because he
was considered a flight risk, he was immediately taken into
custody following a court order after being sentenced to
three years in prison.
Cho has three sons. The second
and third sons are very productive and work in
church-related ministries. His eldest son has been the
prodigal. He has been married four times and has been
involved in sexual scandals with national personalities. In
addition, he has served prison time for investment scams and
embezzlement. His scandalized life has been an embarrassment
to his family and the church.
Twelve years ago, this son
purposely defrauded the church in excess of $12 million in a
stock-related scheme. Cho testified that he trusted his
elders and son and didn’t check and read the thousands
of pages of paperwork, which was prepared for him to sign.
Because Cho relied upon the direction of his choice elders
and son, he signed the papers. He never received any monies
from the transaction.
Third, the presiding judge
said, “The court considered that even though Pastor
Cho had the final say in the church, he never took the lead
in any of the crimes, including tax evasion, committed on
the suggestion of the accounting firm.”
The court also considered
Cho’s life journey as a religious leader and his
long-term contribution to social welfare as mitigating
circumstances on his behalf. The court ruled that his son,
Cho Hee-Jun, was the instigator of the crime related to the
purchase of the shares of 1-Service stock.
Even though Cho established
the world’s largest church, with more than 1 million
members, he lives a simple life in a 1,000-square-foot
church apartment. Neither does he own a car. Cho has raised
and given personally to the church more than $170
million.
Dr. Bob Rodgers
Sr. is pastor of Evangel World Prayer Center in
Louisville, Ky.