SEOUL (AFP) - The founder of the Unification Church Sun-Myung Moon and his wife were among several people slightly injured when a helicopter made an emergency landing in South Korea Saturday, police said.

The National Police Agency said the helicopter was carrying Moon, his wife, 11 relatives and three crew when it got into difficulties in heavy rain and came down on a hillside at Gapyeong, 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of Seoul.

A police spokesman told reporters Moon, his wife Han Hak-Ja and 13 others were slightly hurt while one woman aged 38 was seriously injured as the helicopter caught fire after landing.

They were taken to Cheongshim Hospital at Gapyeong, where the church has several facilities including the hospital.

The church, whose official name is the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, posted a notice on its website describing the accident as minor. It said Moon, 88, and his wife are safe.

"The two parents are safe so family members should not be worried," it said, referring to Moon and his wife and the church's followers.

South Korea's CBS radio said Moon, his wife and five others needed hospital treatment. It said the church founder and his wife were given MRI scans for suspected back injuries and moved to a VIP room.

The transport ministry said in a statement the Sikorsky S-92 made the landing after encountering bad weather.

The church, one of the world's most controversial religious organisations, was founded in Seoul in 1954. It evangelises in some 200 countries, church officials say.

In April Moon's 28-year-old son Hyung Jin Moon succeeded his father as its top leader.

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