Seoul, May 10, 2012 (AFP) – A South Korean Christian pastor has starved himself to death in the belief that he would be resurrected, police said Thursday.

They said the 48-year-old female partner of the pastor was arrested Saturday for negligence in the death.

The pastor identified only as Jung died after fasting and praying for his church and its members in the Dongjak district of southwest Seoul.

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Jung stopped eating on April 9 and died on April 18. He told his partner not to take him to hospital if he appeared near death, saying he would come back to life three and a half days later.

The woman waited for three days before taking the body to hospital.

She is accused of neglect by letting the pastor die and by leaving his body for three days afterwards in the belief he would come back to life, a police spokesman in Dongjak told AFP.

Among those who profess a religion, a majority of South Koreans are Christians. Some devout believers practice fasts for a limited period.

(image via WikiMedia Commons)