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Founder of Unification Church in ‘irreversible’ state
By Korea HeraldPublished : Sept. 2, 2012 - 20:32
Rev. Moon Sun-myung, 92, who lies in a hospital bed hooked up to life support with an “irreversible” illness, is a controversial religious figure and businessman claiming some 3 million followers around the world.
A native of North Korea, Moon fled to the South during the Korean War where he founded the Unification Church in 1952. In 1957, a book outlining the group’s religious doctrine was completed.
The followers of the Unification Church believe Moon to be the “one and only Messiah in human history” and refer to him as the “True Father.”
And like a true father, Moon presided over numerous mass weddings around the world, each couple supposedly paired by Moon. Pictures of 6,000 couples in a mass wedding at the Jamsil Stadium Complex in 1982 surely caught the attention of people around the world.
However, the mass weddings were but a small part of the group’s activities. Little Angles, a singing and dancing troupe of young girls, tours the world. The Universal Ballet Company headed by Julia Moon, a ballet dancer who famously wed Moon’s son after he was killed in a car accident in a “spirit wedding” is a leading ballet company of Korea.
The Unification Church also counts an arts middle school, arts high school as well as Sun Moon University among its endeavors in the education field. The Segye Times is a Korean-language daily published by the Unification Church. Moon also owns a soccer team and hosts the annual Peace Cup. In fact, Moon’s last public appearances were at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Peace Cup in July.
Moon is also a business mogul. Abroad, Moon’s business empire includes The Washington Times, the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan, as well as business interests in North Korea. Moon met North Korea’s then-leader Kim Il-sung in 1991.
However, Moon is also remembered for serving time in prison on tax-related charges. In 1982, Moon was convicted by the U.S. government for filing false federal income tax returns and for conspiracy. He was fined $15,000 and served 13 months of an 18-month sentence before being released on good behavior to a halfway house.
By Kim Hoo-ran (khooran@heraldcorp.com)
A native of North Korea, Moon fled to the South during the Korean War where he founded the Unification Church in 1952. In 1957, a book outlining the group’s religious doctrine was completed.
The followers of the Unification Church believe Moon to be the “one and only Messiah in human history” and refer to him as the “True Father.”
And like a true father, Moon presided over numerous mass weddings around the world, each couple supposedly paired by Moon. Pictures of 6,000 couples in a mass wedding at the Jamsil Stadium Complex in 1982 surely caught the attention of people around the world.
However, the mass weddings were but a small part of the group’s activities. Little Angles, a singing and dancing troupe of young girls, tours the world. The Universal Ballet Company headed by Julia Moon, a ballet dancer who famously wed Moon’s son after he was killed in a car accident in a “spirit wedding” is a leading ballet company of Korea.
The Unification Church also counts an arts middle school, arts high school as well as Sun Moon University among its endeavors in the education field. The Segye Times is a Korean-language daily published by the Unification Church. Moon also owns a soccer team and hosts the annual Peace Cup. In fact, Moon’s last public appearances were at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Peace Cup in July.
Moon is also a business mogul. Abroad, Moon’s business empire includes The Washington Times, the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan, as well as business interests in North Korea. Moon met North Korea’s then-leader Kim Il-sung in 1991.
However, Moon is also remembered for serving time in prison on tax-related charges. In 1982, Moon was convicted by the U.S. government for filing false federal income tax returns and for conspiracy. He was fined $15,000 and served 13 months of an 18-month sentence before being released on good behavior to a halfway house.
By Kim Hoo-ran (khooran@heraldcorp.com)
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Articles by Korea Herald
