Controversial religious leader oversaw a vast business empireRev. Moon Sun-myung, the founder of the Unification Church and a business mogul, died shortly before 2 a.m. on Monday morning. He was 92.Moon died at a church-owned hospital in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. His wife, Han Hak-ja, and children were at his side, the church said.Moon was admitted to the intensive care unit at Catholic University St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul on Aug. 13 with complications of pneumonia. Last Friday, as the doc

Rev. Moon Sun-myung, who died Monday, was a controversial figure reviled as a cult leader by his detractors but who was also a shrewd businessman running a vast empire of businesses. Moon founded the Unification Church in 1954 and has built it into a worldwide religious organization claiming up to 3 million followers around the world. Its followers are often derisively called “Moonies” after the founder.The Unification Church is famed for mass weddings, which it trumpets as “dedicated to the cre

Some members of a small Texas town have suggested that an 11-year-old girl is partly responsible for the rapes she suffered because of her appearance, according to news sources.The girl was horrifically gang-raped in 2010 by multiple men over a span of five months in the small town of Cleveland, about 45 miles outside of Houston, Texas. The first person tried, 20-year-old Eric McGowen, escaped on Wednesday during a break in court. He had confessed, his DNA had been found, and the girl had testif

Rev. Moon Sun-myung, 92, who lies in a hospital bed hooked up to life support with an “irreversible” illness, is a controversial religious figure and businessman claiming some 3 million followers around the world. A native of North Korea, Moon fled to the South during the Korean War where he founded the Unification Church in 1952. In 1957, a book outlining the group’s religious doctrine was completed. The followers of the Unification Church believe Moon to be the “one and only Messiah in human h

The Korea Foundation is holding a series of lectures in English on Korean culture and tradition. The lecture series focuses primarily on Korea’s modern society, traditional music and food, and Seochon, a hanok-dotted neighborhood west of Gyeongbok Palace. Classes will be held Saturdays from 2-4 p.m. starting Sept. 22 on the 19th floor of Mirae Asset Center One building. Lecturers include renowned experts, including novelist Park Tae-won; Kelly S. Walsh, professor of world literature at Yonsei Un

Benedict GroeschelA U.S. Catholic priest has apologized for saying victims of clergy abuse were seducers and says he did not intend to put blame on victims.The Rev. Benedict Groeschel of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, in an opinion piece in the National Catholic Register, a conservative publication, said victims of sexual abuse are looking for father figures."People have this picture in the

Travel agencies offer exclusive, customized services for very rich foreign travelersWhen Jessica Alba was spotted at a night club in Gangnam earlier this year, everyone wondered why the Hollywood star was in Korea. Photos taken at major tourist attractions in Seoul proved she was travelling with her family. Behind Alba’s stay in Seoul was a private travel service company, which arranged a private guided tour for her and her family. The service came with tour guides equipped with language skills

Korea should upgrade the quality of its travel services in order to attract more tourists and develop the travel industry, according to Jiny Jung, head of Cosmo.Jin Tour, a company which offers premium travel services to elite travelers. “More people from other parts of the world travel long distances to come to Korea as our national status rises. Amidst this trend, we should look back at our travel service quality and think about how we can improve it to draw more people to the country,” said J