Rev. Moon Sun-myung, the founder of the Unification Church, was slightly injured when a civilian medical helicopter carrying him and 15 others burst into flames after making an emergency landing north of Seoul Saturday, police said.
The Sikorsky S-92 helicopter made the landing at a mountainous area near Cheongshim Hospital in Gapyeong, 60 kilometers north of the capital, around 5:10 p.m., after taking off from Jamsil, southern Seoul, around 4:40 p.m., according to police and witnesses.
The church said in a five-paragraph statement posted on its Web site that Moon and his wife Han Hak-ja were "safe," according to Yonhap News.
But, police said 14 people, mostly members of Moon's family including the founder of the church and his wife, were hurt and one of them, a 38-year-old female, who is only identified by her surname Lim, was seriously injured.
The other two people on board were believed to be unharmed, police said.
"At the time of the accident, bad weather might have reduced visibility in the area, but we have to conduct a probe to find out the exact cause of the accident," said a local police official.
The injured were transferred to Cheongshim Hospital, which is owned by the Unification Church.
In the statement, the church said the accident was ``minor and don't worry too much about the extent" of the injuries.
Moon, 88, is one of the world's most controversial religious figures. His business interests range from heavy machinery to media. The church claims to have three million members worldwide.