The Korean Central Presbyterian Church of Vienna, Virginia is a PCA congregation with more than 3,000 members and attendance and is a member of the Korean Capital Presbytery. At press time none of the church officers have been charged.

UPDATE 4-19:

The Reverend Henry Koh, Coordinator of Korean Ministries for the Presbyterian Church in America, stated to the Aquila Report that the amount alleged to have been embezzled is less than the $700,000 originally reported by authorities; it is probably closer to $200,000, which is still a significant amount. This is all the more important since the funds were gifts to the accounts of many of the 50 missionary families serving all over the world and for whom SEED is the sending agency.

The alleged perpetrator, Mr. Eun Tae Lee, is a deacon at Korean Central Presbyterian Church and served with SEED as chief administrative officer for about 5 and a half years. At this time, there does not appear to be anyone else involved in the embezzlement.

Pastor Koh asks for prayers for the missionary families who are affected by the loss of these funds. They are just starting to hear about the problem and one can imagine how difficult it is to be so far away and hear serious reports concerning the financial situation of their mission agency.

The Aquila Report will post updates as more information is received.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A top officer of a nonprofit Christian missionary group has been arrested for allegedly embezzling more than $700,000 from the Northern Virginia group and using it to support a “lavish lifestyle” that included buying a Porsche sport-utility vehicle and renting a second residence, Loudon County authorities said Friday.

Eun Tae Lee, 50, is listed in an annual report as the chief administrative officer for Seed International Inc., a missionary company sponsored by the Korean Central Presbyterian Church in Vienna but funded by numerous Korean churches around the world.

Won Sang Lee, the retired senior pastor of Korean Central, is the president of Seed, and Chang Soo Ro, the current senior pastor of Korean Central, is listed as Seed’s secretary in the company’s annual report to the Virginia State Corporation Commission.

It was unclear how many employees or missionaries Seed has, nor were there details about donations the company receives. Officials at Seed and Korean Central did not return multiple requests for comment.

F. Douglas Ross, an attorney for Seed, said the effect of the embezzlement “obviously is significant. It’s an international humane organization that provides missionary services and support across the globe.”

READ MORE:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/16/AR2010041604732.html