Two sons to lead Unification empire

The late Rev. Moon Sun-myung Unification Church founder

Church founder Rev. Moon dies at 92

The death of the 92-year-old Rev. Moon Sun-myung, the founder of the Unification Church, Monday, is leaving two sons in charge of his religious and business empire.

Since the death of three of his sons including the two eldest, the late Moon handed over control to the two — the youngest Hyung-jin, 33, as international president of the church; and fourth-son, Kook-jin, 42, to look over the business arm, the Tongil Group.

Moon, who founded the church in 1954, controversially claimed 3 million believers worldwide with 100,000 in the United States. He actively sent out missionaries but also expanded broadly into diverse business operations.

But despite its influence, sibling tension between the seven sons and six daughters he had with his second wife, Han Hak-ja, has put a question over the church’s future.

The U.S-born and Harvard-educated Hyung-jin has been serving at the helm of the church since 2008 as the only minister in the family. While at Harvard, he pursued an interest in Buddhism and was well known on campus with a shaved head and dressed in a robe.

The fourth son, Kook-jin, oversees the church’s business empire that spans from cars to educational institutions and media companies as chairman of Tongil Group. The business arm runs educational institutions such as Sunhwa Arts School in Seoul and Cheongshim International Academy in Gyeonggi Province. It also owns and operates the daily Segye Ilbo in Seoul, the wire service UPI and the Washington Times newspaper; and owns the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan.

The church also has business investments in North Korea including Pyeongwha Motors. The late former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung allowed the business investment after Moon made a visit in 1991.

The late founder had passed over the third and oldest living son, Hyun-jin, due to reported differences over his father’s “messiah theory.”

In May last year, Moon’s third son Hyun-jin filed a lawsuit against his mother, claiming 23. 8 billion won ($22.3 million) from the company coffers allegedly sent to the church’s missionary foundation led by his mother without his consent. The court recognized the money as a loan butruled that it be returned. The foundation then sued the son’s father-in-law after several months.

Church officials were quoted as saying that he will most probably lead the Church despite the family rancor.

Moon was moved to a Church-owned hospital in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Friday, after the Catholic University’s St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul declared on Aug. 31 that the founder’s kidney’s had ceased to function. He had been at St. Mary’s for more than two weeks since checking in on Aug. 14.

The Unification Church spokesman said the church is expected to hold a 13-day mourning period and public mourning will be available from Thursday at Cheongshim Peace World Center, a multi-purpose religious facility near the hospital.

The funeral will be held on Sept. 15. <The Korea Times/Kwon Mee-yoo>

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