Choi Tae-min (5 May 1912 – 1 May 1994) was the leader of the Church of Eternal Life, a

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

combining elements of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, and traditional

Korean Shamanism Korean shamanism or Mu-ism is a religion from Korea. In the Korean language, alternative terms for the tradition are ''musok'' () and ''mugyo'' (무교, 巫敎). Scholars of religion have classified it as a folk religion. There is no central auth ...

. Choi, originally a Buddhist monk, then a convert to

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

pastor, was married six times. He was the mentor of the impeached South Korean president,

Park Geun-hye Park Geun-hye (; ; often in English ; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 to 2017, until she was impeached and convicted on related corruption charges. Park was the fi ...

(the daughter of former president

Park Chung-hee Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...

), until his death in 1994. He allegedly used his relationship with Park to solicit bribes from government officials and businessmen. In late 2016, a scandal involving his daughter,

Choi Soon-sil Choi Soon-sil (; born June 23, 1956) is an individual known primarily for her involvement in the 2016 South Korean political scandal, which stemmed from her influence over the 11th President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye. Biography Choi Soon- ...

, broke out, with allegations that she too has exerted undue influence over President Park.

History

Choi Tae-min set up a religious group called Yongsae-gyo (), or "Church of the Spirit World", and declared himself

Maitreya Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...

, or a "Future Buddha". He befriended

soon after her mother, Yuk Young-soo, was assassinated in 1974. According to a report by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency from the 1970s that was published by a South Korean news magazine in 2007, Choi initially approached Park Geun-hye by telling her that her mother had appeared to him in his dreams, asking him to help her daughter. Choi was an associate of former-president President Park Chung-hee until the latter's death by assassination in 1979.

Kim Jae-gyu Kim Jae-gyu (Hangul: 김재규, April 9, 1924 – May 24, 1980) was a South Korean politician, army lieutenant general and the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. He assassinated South Korean President Park Chung-hee— ...

, the director of the KCIA who assassinated President Park Chung-hee, told a court that one of his motives was what he called the president's failure to stop Choi Tae-min's corrupt activities and keep him away from his daughter. In a newspaper interview in 2007, Park Geun-hye called Choi a patriot and said she was grateful for his counsel and comfort during "difficult times". Also in 2007, a diplomatic cable made public through

WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is an international Nonprofit organization, non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous Source (journalism), sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activism, Internet acti ...

, the American Embassy in Seoul reported rumors that Mr. Choi, a 'Korean Rasputin', "had complete control over Park’s body and soul during her formative years and that his children accumulated enormous wealth as a result."

Frequently-used names

He used seven different names:Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), 1979. * Choi Do-won (, , 1927) * Choi Sang-hun (, , 1945) * Choi Bong-su (, , 1951) * Choi Toe-un (, , 1954) * Gong Hae-nam (, , 1969) * Bang Min (, , 1971) * Choi Tae-min (, , 1975)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Tae-min Founders of new religious movements South Korean activists South Korean Buddhist monks South Korean police officers People from Sariwon 1912 births 1994 deaths Park Geun-hye 20th-century South Korean businesspeople 20th-century Buddhist monks