The Seoul Central District Court has sentenced a reverend who purchased a house with church funds to two years in prison, officials said Wednesday.

The reverend, in his 60s, used 590 million won ($445,000) of church funds to buy an apartment in his own name in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, in the fall of 2020.

Church funds are received by a church for paying church programs, salaries and operating expenses. Embezzling public funds is a violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.

The reverend said he took the money in consideration of his dedication to the church for more than 10 years. The reverend also claimed that a resolution to buy the house had been passed at a meeting with members of the church in August 2020.

The court did not accept his claim and found the reverend guilty.

“There was no specific discussion over buying a house at the meeting. It is more common to buy a house with church funds in the name of the church rather than the name of a specific person. Therefore, it is clear that the apartment in Dongjak-gu was purchased for the reverend’s personal use,” the court ruled.