Category: Abroad

Cults, cabals and
corruption in South Korea

Every day we seem to learn that Park’s longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, the daughterof a religious cult leader, has yet another tentacle wrapped around the government. South Korea has been rocked by allegations that the nation is actually run by a shadow government, but its people are riding for a fall by directing their outrage […]

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Cult or church? This Korean sect has thousands of devotees, but ex-believers lost faith and money

By South Korea correspondent Carrington Clarke, Sook-young Lee and Mitch Denman Woolnough in Seoul Posted Sun 2 May 2021 at 12:46amSunday 2 May 2021 at 12:46am, updated Sun 2 May 2021 at 6:37amSunday 2 May 2021 at 6:37am At 24, Kim Eun-kang was pursuing her dream of becoming a traditional Korean music singer. But she gave it all up to compete […]

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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 […]

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Seoul, a film about corruption in Christian churches asks ‘Where are you going?’

“Quo Vadis” was written and directed by a renowned Korean director, son of a Christian clergyman. The movie slams illegal business transactions, nepotism, corruption and hunger for power within megachurches that are no longer places of worship. Called to task in the movie, targeted Protestant Churches try to boycott the projections and announce legal action. […]

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[Editorial] The shameful reality of South Korean Protestant megachurches

The southeast Seoul presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, one of South Korea’s largest Protestant orders, approved a motion on Oct. 24 to invite Rev. Kim Ha-na of Myungsung Church, located in the Myeongil neighborhood of Seoul’s Gangdong district, to take over as head pastor. This marks the end of the order’s legal procedures […]

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South Korea: Church’s Embezzlement Case Draws Harsh Criticism

In South Korea, an embezzlement case involving the country’s largest church has fueled public debate online. Citizens, pointing out the Korean Protestant church’s corruption and its neglect of public duties, have even suggested lifting the tax exemption granted to churches. Korea is not a Christian nation, neither historically nor demographically, but the religion’s influence can be felt […]

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South Korea church scandals under spotlight in new film

Catholic corruption and sex abuse allegations have made global headlines for years. Now a new film shines a spotlight on scandals at South Korea’s vast and politically powerful Protestant churches. South Koreans are enthusiastic religious believers, with 44 percent practising or considering themselves religious, according to state data. Protestants are the largest group, followed by […]

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How corruption scandals are driving young Christians away from megachurches—and conservative politics

The Rise of Café Churches in South Korea How corruption scandals are driving young Christians away from megachurches—and conservative politics By Jason Strother The electronic keyboard and acoustic guitar kicked in as the junior minister opened this past Sunday’s service with a public prayer. He spoke in a rapid-fire cadence as the 20 members of the […]

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Pope accused of failing to act on sex abuse case

Pope Benedict XVI failed to act over complaints during the 1990s about a priest in the US who is thought to have abused some 200 deaf boys, victims say. As head of the Vatican office dealing with sex abuses, the then Cardinal Ratzinger allegedly did not respond to letters from an archbishop on the case. […]

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Looking behind the Catholic sex abuse scandal

In recent months allegations and admissions of child abuse by priests have shaken the Roman Catholic Church to its core, as a continuous stream of cases has surfaced across Western Europe and beyond. Experts say there is no evidence of a link between celibacy and abuse The Vatican has defended itself by suggesting this is […]

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