Shake-ups at the Moonie Times

"Washington Times chairman Douglas Joo has abruptly—but quietly—left the company just a week after professing on the paper's 30th anniversary that he was "very proud" of all it had accomplished. The executive office of the Times confirmed the news to Whispers Friday.

Joo, who is a member of the Unification Church until very recently run by the deceased Rev. Sun Myung Moon, already gave up his position as chairman of the Times once before. In November 2009, Joo was reportedly fired from the role because of a Moon family feud that resulted in chaos among the leadership of the paper. Joo denied those reports at the time, and reassumed his role as chairman not long after.

Joo's latest departure, however, comes amid questions about the future of the Unification Church after the September death of Moon, who claimed to be a messiah. Moon founded the new religious movement in South Korea in 1954. He's left behind a conflicted legacy: unique religious practices, such as the church's mass marriage ceremonies, accusations of cult-like practices, including the alleged brainwashing of its members, and an enormous global business empire whose wealth cannot be easily estimated—even by those who have long followed the church."

More here: http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/10/13/washington-times-chairman-douglas-joo-abruptly-departs-paper-for-reasons-unknown