Seoul, South Korea — Cho Yong-gi, founder of the largest Protestant church in South Korea died Sept. 14. He was 85.
Seoul’s Yoido Full Gospel Church was started by Cho with five people in 1958 following the Korean War, according to the Associated Press. It hit a membership high of 700,000 in 1993 and has since declined to around 600,000, according to media and church reports.
Cho and his family ended up in a variety of scandals related to finances and key leadership positions. He stepped down in 2008.
Despite how his ministry ended, many in South Korea give Cho credit for leading the way for Christianity’s explosive growth in the country.
