Followers honour Unification Church leader
Followers pay respect to the Rev. Sun Myung Moon at a Unification Church in Tokyo yesterday following his death on Sunday.
The Unification Church has declared 13 days of mourning.
The 92-year-old founder of the church who built a global business empire died on Sunday at a church-owned hospital near his home in Gapyeong County, north east of Seoul, South Korea, two weeks after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia, church spokesman Ahn Ho-yeul said. His family was at his side.
He and his wife have 10 surviving children and in recent years, Mr Moon had been handing over power of the church’s religious, charitable and business entities to them. He founded his Bible-based religion in Seoul in 1954, saying Jesus Christ called on him to complete his work. The church has been accused of using devious recruitment tactics.