Pastor sentenced to 18 months for embezzling W367m in church funds

A pastor who embezzled 367 million won ($261,063) in church funds, including offerings made by church members, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to a court ruling on Thursday.

The Seoul Northern District Court said it handed down the prison term last Thursday on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust. The defendant, who served as head pastor at a church in Seoul, is accused of misappropriating church funds for personal expenses between 2010 and 2020.

With the pocketed funds, the pastor invested 332 million won into stocks and derivatives from 2015 to 2018, resulting in a loss of 287 million won. He was also accused of transferring an offering from a church member, who is the CEO of a company, into his private account. He also allegedly changed the ownership of a church-owned apartment into his name.

The pastor asserted that his actions were done in compliance with the church’s bylaws, yet the court found no evidence that church members were aware of this rule. The court said it appears that the pastor established the bylaws on his own.