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David Yong-gi Cho, Founder Of South Korea’s Yoido Megachurch Dies At 85
David Cho Yong-gi, a South Korean pastor who primarily based thought-about one in all South Korea’s largest and hottest megachurches died on Tuesday morning, his church acknowledged in a data launch.
Cho had been hospitalized since a collapse in June 2020, and died in Seoul after struggling a thoughts hemorrhage. He was 85.
Cho primarily based the Yoido Full Gospel Church in 1958, which grew to be among the many many world’s largest church buildings with better than 480,000 attendees per week, consistent with Administration Neighborhood, an international group of church leaders.
Yoido has better than 500 church areas all through South Korea, and has despatched 1000’s of missionaries to completely totally different worldwide areas over time, consistent with the church’s data launch. Cho himself has participated in spiritual rallies and actions in 71 worldwide areas, acknowledged the discharge.
Born in 1936, Cho lived by the use of the Korean Battle, all through which he served as an interpreter between his college principal and the US military commander, the church acknowledged in its launch.
In his second 12 months of highschool, he was acknowledged with pulmonary tuberculosis and knowledgeable he would not dwell for for much longer. All through this time he turned to Christianity, a name he would later credit score rating collectively along with his “miraculous” restoration, consistent with the church.
Cho’s restoration prompted him to enroll throughout the Full Gospel Theological Seminary, and he established the Yoido church after graduating. The church began as merely 5 members gathered under a tent in Seoul, consistent with the church’s website.
Christians attend an Easter service with social distancing on the Yoido Full Gospel Church on April 4 in Seoul, South Korea.
South Korea has one in all many world’s most vibrant Christian — significantly Protestant — cultures, with conversion gaining momentum throughout the mid- to late twentieth century.
South Korea has one in all many world’s most vibrant Christian — significantly Protestant — cultures, with conversion gaining momentum throughout the mid- to late twentieth century.
Minority Christian sects, along with megachurches, boomed throughout the years following the tip of the Korean Battle — and Yoido grew to change into perhaps Korea’s best-known guide, boasting better than 700,000 members by 1993, consistent with the knowledge launch.
These numbers continued skyrocketing as a result of the church went worldwide, growing to include a big mountainside retreat in South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province and a Christian school Cho primarily based in California. The church moreover established a world arm, headed by Cho, to connect with pastors and church leaders from 25 totally different worldwide areas, consistent with its website.
Inside South Korea, Cho grew to change into a vastly influential decide; he primarily based a Christian day-to-day newspaper, established a humanitarian NGO, and wrote quite a lot of books, acknowledged the church launch.
Nonetheless he was moreover steadily the subject of controversy and scandal. In 2014, he was found accountable of embezzling $14 million in church donations to buy shares owned by his son, at 4 events their market price, consistent with Reuters.
Cho’s wife died in February this 12 months. The couple depart behind three sons.
