Church elder embezzles funds for 16 years, gets jail term

A church elder accused of embezzling some 420 million won ($310,000) of the congregation's funds was sentenced to two years in prison, the Chuncheon District Court said Sunday.

The appellate division of the court upheld an earlier ruling that found the 73-year-old defendant guilty of violating Article 356 of the Criminal Act, which states that occupational embezzlement shall be punished by up to 10 years in prison or a 30 million won fine.

The defendant, an elder at a church in Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon Province, is accused of misappropriating public funds between 2000 and 2016 by pocketing the money for his personal use. He admitted to the charges but claimed that the amount was less than what the prosecution had stated.

In most South Korean Christian churches, an elder refers to a person in a position of authority who oversees significant functions of the congregation. The elder in question had been the church’s de facto secretary during the 16 years he committed the crime.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)