It has been confirmed on social media that one of the renowned South Korean pastors, Dr David Yonggi Cho also known as Paul Yungi Cho has sadly passed away at the age of 85. He was reported to have died in the early hours of today September 13 2021.
His cause of death has not been disclosed to the public as no official statement has been released by family or church leadership. Cho has a simple lifestyle and spends much of his resources on social welfare.
Founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church, Kong Hee confirmed the passing of Dr David Yonggi Cho through a post he made on his official Facebook page.
The Post Read:- At 7:13 am this morning, my pastor and spiritual father, Dr David Yonggi Cho (1936-2021), just went home to the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. I love you, Dr Cho.
Reacting to Paul’s death, Revivalist, Chad Macdonald took to his official Facebook page to pen down his heart-tribute to the late gospel preacher describing him as a powerful Man Of God who was a great gift to the body of Christ.
Read Excerpts below:-
I have just received word that Dr David Yonggi Cho stepped into his eternal reward today and is now in the presence of The Lord. What a powerful Man of God he was, truly an apostle of the Lord.
It was he who first taught me how to pray and I will forever be grateful for that revelation. When I first stepped into the sanctuary of Yoido Full Gospel Church the tangible glory of God was overwhelming. There was an unmistakable roar that permeated the atmosphere as tens of thousands in unison prayed in the Holy Ghost.
Dr Cho was a gift to the body of Christ and may this generation learn to pray as Dr. Cho prayed.
Few Things You Need To Know About Dr David Yonggi
Born on February 14, 1936, in Ulju-gun, Pastor David Yonngi was a popular South Korean Christian Minster who alongside his mother-in-law Choi Ja-shil cofounded the Yoido Full Gospel Church (Assemblies of God). As of 2017, David Yonngi was said to be the world’s largest congregation, with a claimed membership of 830,000.
His education was badly affected because of financial issues. After his graduation from middle school, David Yonggi decided to enrol in an inexpensive technical high school to learn a trade because his father’s sock and glove business went bankrupt and he couldn’t afford high school or university tuition.
At that time while learning the trade, David began frequenting an American army base near his school, and where he learned English from soldiers whom he befriended. He mastered English quickly, and became an interpreter for the commander of the army base, and also for the principal of his school.
Pastor David Yonggi Cho was not born into a Christian family, he was raised as a Buddhist but converted to Christianity at the age of 17, after a girl who visited him while suffering tuberculosis told him about Jesus Christ.
As a pathway in taking up the call of God in his life, Cho began working as an interpreter for the American evangelist Ken Tize. In 1956, when he received a scholarship to study theology at Full Gospel Bible College in Seoul. While there, he met Choi Ja-Shil, who became his mother-in-law and a close ministerial associate. He later graduated in March 1958.
Cho held his first worship service at the Daejo Church which had in attendance only four people. The church grew rapidly and soon had 50 members. Cho and church members began a campaign of knocking on doors and inviting people to come to church, and within three years, it had grown to four hundred members. In 1961, the church purchased its first plot of land at Seodaemun-gu.
Dr David Yonggi Cho Embezzlement Allegations
In 2011, church elders accused David Yonggi of embezzling $20 million and privatizing church assets.
In 2014, he was sentenced to three years in prison for embezzling $12 million in church funds. About 30 church elders held a press conference accusing Cho and his family of stealing millions in church donations dating back to the 1990s.
The elders enumerated multiple instances of Cho’s dishonesty that involved him borrowing and never returning funds, acquiring enormous church donations without disclosing what they were being used toward and even taking an $18 million severance pay when he stepped down as head pastor in 2008
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