DHAKA (BANGLADESH)
Agence France Presse via Prothom Alo

October 21, 2017

Catholic corruption and sex abuse allegations have made global headlines for years. Now a new film shines a spotlight on scandals at South Korea’s vast and politically powerful Protestant churches.

South Koreans are enthusiastic religious believers, with 44 percent practising or considering themselves religious, according to state data. Protestants are the largest group, followed by Buddhists and Catholics.

The country is home to several of the world’s biggest “megachurches”, with hundreds of thousands of members, while conservative evangelical church groups boast millions of followers and enormous political lobbying power.

Many star pastors build enormous personal fortunes and often pass control over their churches to their own children in a generational power transfer.

But corruption or sex scandals involving evangelical leaders make frequent headlines, as do court battles over lucrative congregations.