Unification Church Founder Hurt in Crash
SEOUL, South Korea - A helicopter carrying the Rev. Sun Myung Moon crashed into a mountainside Saturday as it attempted an emergency landing, injuring the founder of the Unification Church and 15 others, officials said.
Moon, 88, was slightly injured in the crash, a hospital official said. Members of Moon's family, including his wife, were also hurt, and one person suffered a serious back injury, fire official Kim Wu-jong said.
The Rev. Sun Myung Moon Survives Chopper Crash
The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, was slightly injured when his helicopter crashed Saturday in South Korea, officials said. Moon's followers believe he came into the world to complete Jesus Christ's work. He declared himself the Messiah at a 2004 ceremony.
The S-92 helicopter was carrying 16 people, including 13 church members, when it crashed and burst into flames, the transportation ministry said.
Moon and the others were treated at the nearby church-affiliated Cheongshim Hospital in Gapyeong, about 37 miles northeast of Seoul, hospital official Park Sung-kwon said.
Moon received an X-ray and his condition was not serious, Park said.
No details of his injury were given, but the church said in a brief statement on its Web site that Moon and the others were "safe."
The transportation ministry said the accident took place as the helicopter made an emergency landing due to bad visibility during heavy rain. The exact cause of the crash was still under investigation, police said.
Church official Kim Dae-yeol said the helicopter was flying to Cheongshim Hospital from southern Seoul. The Gapyeong area has several church-affiliated facilities including a museum and schools.
Moon founded the Seoul-based Unification Church in the 1950s and the conservative Washington Times newspaper in 1982. His church owns hundreds of companies around the world, including the United Press International news agency.
The church's doctrine is a mixture of Christian, Confucian and traditional Korean values, and Moon's followers believe he came into the world to complete the work of Jesus Christ.
****In 2004, Moon was the center of a coronation ceremony in Washington at which he declared himself the Messiah. He also became widely known for performing mass weddings of followers.
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