Kim Jong-un

The Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) aired a 26-minute video clip that featured the history and current undertakings of the Unification Church on April 21, 2012 at 5 p.m. Japanese Unificationists noted that the documentary was serious, well-researched and for the most part respectful of the church. “That Japanese media, for the first time in history, fairly presented the Unification Church is a result of the efforts we’ve invested into public relations in Japan,” said Luke Higuchi, president of Survivors Against Forced Exit (SAFE). “Under the direction of Kook Jin Moon, Japanese leaders of the Unification Church are promoting transparency in all activities. Yes, the video contains certain controversial topics about our church, but I am very sure that our influence in North Korea will strongly impact the audience. Many Japanese people have realized that without the work of the Unification Church, a peaceful unification between North- and South Korea cannot happen. “This video was a great victory for our movement. It’s telling that TBS sought us out for information about our church instead of going to anti-Unification Church groups. The anti-UC groups even complained about this fact on their blogs and through Twitter. I hope that such coverage will help stop the abductions of our members in Japan by faith breakers – something that continues to this day.” “This was the first documentary on our church that treated the Japanese Unificationists as human beings,” wrote Tomiko Gordon, an early member of the Japanese Church who resides in Atlanta. As an opening statement for the video, narrator Masaki Kusakabe said, “The Unification Church, led by Rev. Sun Myung Moon, whose activities have raised many eyebrows in Japan, [is] now showing a different side in South Korea such as strong links with North Korea and major developments. What does the Unification Church have in mind and what is it up to?” The Unification Church and North Korea The video emphasized the church’s involvement with North Korea. “Politically, the Unification Church has advocated strong anti-communism, but it has moved beyond the religious dimension,” said Kusakabe. He continued: “The Unification Church has an important side that should be reckoned with. The Unification Church and North Korea have retained strong rapport with each other. Last December, at the funeral of Kin Jong Il, only three south Korean groups were allowed to attend. They were the wife of the former president of South Korea, Dae Jung Kim, the chairman of the Hyundai group, as well as the Unification Church group led by the seventh son of Rev. Moon, Hyung Jin Moon. “The honeymoon period between North Korea and the Unification Church dates back two decades, when Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a fierce anti-communist, abruptly paid a visit to North Korea in 1992 beginning the association of ‘blood brothers.’ A symbol of their intimate relationship has developed as a car manufacturer affiliated with the Unification Church. Peace Motors Corporation, now managed by Sang Kwon Park, a Unification Church follower, was set up as a joint venture with North Korean authorities and is manufacturing and marketing automobiles. Car parts of Italian auto manufacturers are imported through China and assembled here. The company produced 2,000 vehicles last year.” During an interview with Kusakabe, Park said, “I came here convinced that the unification of North- and South Korea as well as world peace will be realized according to Rev. Moon’s teachings. But business is business. It has to make profits. My goal may be to create a conglomerate in Pyongyang. Without financial resources, the unification is hard to achieve. Under the slogan ‘Strong and Vibrant Great Nation,’ this year we’ll see much higher yields, I expect.” Kusakabe continued to explain that Park is optimistic about North Korea’s economic prospects despite the gloomy consensus of many. Park is reported to have exchanged words directly with Kim Jong Un during the funeral ceremony for Kim Jong Il in December of 2011. In response to Kusakabe’s question of why the Unification Church collaborates with North Korea, Kook Jin (Justin) Moon, chairman of the Tongil Foundation says in the film: “Our father [Rev. Sun Myung Moon] teaches us that the Unification Church has to become strong not because we hate the devilish socialism, but so that the North Korean people will not go the path of slavery after the collapse of the socialist system. North Korea is becoming more isolated in the international community. In sympathy towards the North Korean people, blood brothers must continue offering helping hands. Our father always prays for the unification of two Koreas. The unification must be achieved in a manner that affirms the existence of God.” Next, Chairman Moon answered the question of how he evaluates the church’s activities that have caused “social problems” and whether he is awar

• published: 27 Apr 2012
• views: 1018