Chapter 2 The Unification Movement in Korea

 

 

 

 

 

1991 - The Unification of My Country

 

 

The motto for the year 1991 was The Unification of My Country. Reverend Moon, who returned to Korea on December 23, 1990, gave the motto: The Unification of My Country on God's Day after offering the midnight prayer. Reverend Moon expressed the wish that his eighth decade would be the time when everything could be offered back to Heavenly Father on the basis of his having indemnified the 7,000-year history of humankind during his seventy years  of life, and that, embarking on his eighth decade, he could establish the sovereignty of heaven. Reverend Moon conveyed determination and resolve to the members through his words:

"Reverend Moon's eighth decade is the same as reaching the age of eighty at which Moses began the restoration of Canaan. Let's greet the eighth decade with the standard to restore the present-day worldwide Canaan."  

In fact, the 1990s were remarkable years during which Reverend Moo's seventieth birthday, Reverend Moon's visit to the Soviet Union, the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korean and the Soviet Union, and the establishment of a Korean-Chinese trade mission, all took place. Those who do not know the providence of God might consider these events as fortuitous event in the transitional process of world history. These events did not, however, happen by chance. There were the blood, sweat, and tears of Reverend Moon who, behind these historic events, throughout his seventy years of life, had sacrificed himself for the sake of world peace and the unification of Korea.

Reverend Moon said that the members must welcome the liberated eighth decade. Meanwhile the church directives for the year earnestly bade the Korean members to accomplish the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven at home through God's true love, the declaration of True Parents and life of attendance, and the preparation of the foundation for the unification of North and South Korea through the raining of members in ri (village), tong (neighborhood), and ban (block). Reverend Moon first gathered the Seoul church leaders on January 6, and expressed determination to restore the heavily-populated Seoul area as soon as possible, according to God's will. He then restructured the church in Seoul by changing the four church districts of East, West, North and South into twenty-two regions, each representing one municipal district gu, and reorganized the church leadership accordingly.

From January 13 to 27, a general meeting for leaders took place at the Sataek-ri Central Training Center in preparation for the  unification of North and South Korea. From March 25 to 26, church president Sung-pyo Hong presided over a meeting for the regional church leaders in Seoul at the Chung-pyung Prayer House. A large number of couples participated in the meeting, which was held to mark a new turning point in the providence of restoration in the Seoul regions, and in the development of the church. The participants determined to re-examine their spiritual life, to realize their responsibility as core leaders of the church, based on the unity of husband and wife, and to make progress in serving their hometown tong (neighborhood) and ban (block).

Having spent some time in Alaska, Reverend Moon returned to Korea on the first of July, and officiated at the celebrations for the Day of the Declaration of God's Eternal Blessing at Hannam-dong official residence. While openly expressing the inner suffering and pain of God- with particular reference to the deep anguish over the providence centering on Jesus Christ during His providence to restore human history that had begun through false parents, Reverend Moon declared, on that day, that the excruciating pain incurred through every historical battle had been resolved on June 30, centered on the True Parents; furthermore, that the foundation was established to unify democracy and communism, to bring together the religious spheres and the political spheres, and to restore elder sonship, parentship, and kingship centered on God the Creator, and the horizontal True Parents. He also stated that the position had been reached from which the restoration of the original mind and the realm of heart, the total liberation and unification of the realm of Cain, and the reinstatement of the authority of the tribe, could be achieved.

In addition, Reverend Moon convened the leaders of each organization and company and held many meetings in succession.

Reverend Moon held a special meeting for the leaders of the Tong-Il Group in the main auditorium of the International Training Center at seven o'clock in the morning of August 29. He made a speech under the title "Toward the Hometown Province." The main content of his sermon was that every blessed couple should return home to accomplish their mission as tribal messiah. As a result of this, the church minimized its administrative work, and the blessed couples working at church-affiliated organizations and companies moved back to their hometowns, leaving behind only the members necessary. On October 19, the church held a general meeting for members who had completed their mission on the mobile students witnessing team, implemented extensive personnel changes throughout the thirty-six regions and five hundred affiliated churches nationwide, replacing each leader with one from the younger generation. Clarifying that "Now is time of the second generation," Reverend Moon said that the second generation of the Unification Church must accomplish the primary mission of establishing and creating original absolute value.

With the members returning to their hometowns, Reverend Moon pushed on determinedly with the providence, confronting the final iron wall, North Korea. Reverend and Mrs. Moon's visit was by an official invitation from the North Korean government. Leaving Seoul on November 25, Reverend and Mrs. Moon arrived at Sunan Airport in Pyongyang at 3:40 in the afternoon of November 30 by a special Chosun Peoples airlines flight via Hawaii and Beijing. They were greeted by Ki-bok Yoon, chairman of the Korean Overseas Compatriots Relief Committee of North Korea. Reverend Moon and North Korean premier Kim Il Sung met personally for talks on December 6 and they reached an agreement on four issues including economic cooperation.

Reverend Moon's visit was no different from the meeting of Jacob with Esau on his return home from Haran to Canaan. This was the return home that Reverend Moon had dreamed of, his first visit to North Korea since the division of the Korean peninsula, by official invitation.

Other events of the year were as follows: Chung-hwan Kwak was inaugurated as chairman of the board of directors of the HSA-UWC Foundation, which had been held by Young-whi Kim, was held by Sung-Kyun Moon for four months from July 8 to November 11. The position of president of the Segye Ilbo, previously held by Chung-hwan Kwak, was given to former ambassador Sang-kook Han for the four month period from July 8 to November 13, after which Dr. Bo-hi Pak, president of the Washington Times, took over the position.

At the beginning of September, Japanese church president Osami Kuboki was succeeded in the position he had held continuously for thirty years by Takeru Kamiyama, and was made and honorary president.

On August 15, World Scripture, the fruit of the movement for the unity of religions, was published. World Scripture was created through the compilation of the essential teachings of each of the world's religions. The work was planned by Reverend Moon in 1985, and was published under the direction of Dr. Andrew Wilson. Its contents include categorization of such religious expressions as "Religious Life" and "Kingdom of Heaven" based on the world's five major religious spheres: Judaism and Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. World Scripture is not only a fundamental reference work illustrating the common basis of each religion, but also an excellent text book of religious doctrine.

Reverend Moon inaugurated the Inter-Rekuguiys Federation for World Peace on August 28, at the Little Angels Performing Arts Center, events attended by some two thousand religious and political leaders, prominent scholars, and related dignitaries.

Notable events this year included:

December 2, 1990 to January 11, 1991: First seminar for Moslem leaders.

January 28 to February 9: Principle training for ethnic Korean students living in the Soviet Union.

August 16: Launching of Korean-Japanese cultural exchanges.

August 23-26: Eighteenth International Conference on the Unity of the sciences.

October 24-29: Founding of the Leaders' Federation for the Unification of North and South Korea.

October 25-29: Preparatory meetings for Reverend Moon's campaign for Sound Marriage toward Ideal Family'.

 

 

 

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