Inside the Heart of North Korea

Inside the Heart of North Korea Antonio Betancourt totally unknown territory. Uruguay, Brazil, the United States and Washington, DC” USA I remember going to meet with ultimately around the world. The pur- prime ministers or presidents of coun- pose of CAUSA, which eventually was Some of the work Unificationists carry out tries and having no idea what I was fulfilled, was to present an ideologically around the world requires great discretion. going to say. I only knew that I felt it God-centered solution to communism, Although this can mean that we cannot was God’s desire that I meet with the and to introduce Unificationism or freely report about some of the most amaz- head of state or national leader and tell Godism. ing projects in their early days, it is very them about our movement, and how I could never have achieved this heartwarming to now be able to offer these our ideas were good for their countr)!, without the help of 24-hour prayer. It words (which were originally recorded was not just a prayer condition of in an interview with Antonio in his forty minutes or an hour, Washington office) to the worldwide although we did those. It was readership. Antonio requested that constant, 24-hour communion Today’s World state, and we hereby with God through True Parents. I do, that the ideas expressed in these would talk to Heavenly Father articles are his alone, and do not nec- with my mind as I went to the essarily represent those of the Unifica- interview, as I sat waiting to be tion Church or Unification communi- received by the president, and as I ty in general. was introduced to him. In con- ducting my visit I would be in

M y focus over the last constant mental give and take twenty years, initially with Heavenly Father, with the with CAUSA-later understanding that I was not by with AULA (the Association for myself capable of doing this the Unity of Latin America), the work. Summit Council for World Peace, I was trained neither profes- the International Security Council sionally nor academically in and the Federation for World school, college, or diplomatic Peace - has been to reach out to academy to do what I was doing. the international community and I needed God, through True Par- to the top level of world leader- ents, to work with me. Mentally, ship, such as active and former [:2 every step of the way, I would prime ministers, presidents, heads g; ask, “Heavenly Father, what of government, and heads of state, ~ would you do, what would you through the above-mentioned :: say to what he is saying, what organizations. Our job has focused ~ would you reply? You are the one on the original purpose Father ~ who knows what this person gaveto the SummitClub, which g needs and what this country preceded the Summit Council for ~ needs. You are the one who World Peace in 1981, that is, to ;I: , knows the situation of this provide a forum, infrastructure, Antonio Betancourt with Premier Kim II Sung in 1994 nation.” I always prayed deeply and an organization for world for clarity in my mind, clarity of leaders where they can put their purpose and ideas, and clarity to statesmanship and experience to In conducting my visit I was in know what needs to be done to good use for the sake of peace and constant mental give and take with advance God’s providence. development around the world. I found myself saying the most One of the things that we have Heavenly Father, with the profound things that I would done is to create and pioneer cer- understanding that I was not, by never have thought of otherwise. tain standards and ways of approaching leaders from many myself, capable of doing this work. The president would be so moved and touched by the things that I fields as well as of organizing con- was saying. Day after day, experi- ferences adopted by other church orga- and specifically for their young people. ence after experience, was a testimony nizations that later entered the national My intention was to secure an appoint- to the spirit of God leading our diplo- and international arena. We had no ment to receive Dr. Bo Hi Pak as special matic work. Through that, we were able prior experience in dealing with presi- envoy of our founder. This type of out- to establish a network in many coun- dents and other leaders in the political reach began in Bolivia when CAUSA tries. We began in Latin America and corridors of power. When we began International was founded in 1980, then expanded to Asia, the Middle East, with CAUSA back in 1980, we were in spread to Argentina, Paraguay, Europe, and Africa.

20 Today’s World

Today, after twenty years, we are in a The Path to North Korea Premier Kim II Sung on his behalf, but position to serve the movement as advi- it was impossible for me to get a visa sors and facilitators. We use our experi- After successful meetings with the since the North Koreans knew clearly ence to help the missionaries in the North Korean delegation to the United who I was and who I represented. field, the national messiahs, offering Nations in New York in the spring of With the encouragement of Dr. Pak, I practical advice and contacts to facili- 1990, Father appointed me his special eventually requested the support of one tate their work, so that we can exceed envoy to North Korea. It was decided of our Summit Council members, a for- or surpass what we did in the 1980s that in my travels around the world mer president of Costa Rica. Through and 1990s. that if there was an embassy for North him, we were able to enter North We are always ready to offer our lim- Korea in the city, I should step into that Korea. They gave us a visa to visit the ited resources. For example, some time embassy. I was to present myself as a country knowing that I was a delegate ago there was terrible misunderstand- special envoy of Reverend Moon and of Reverend Moon and a member of the ing on the part of the Philippine gov- testify about the Unification Church, Unification Church. In that sense, I ernment regarding our blessing ceremo- our worldwide work, and why we were broke through because up to that point, ny, and a great controversy about the good for North Korea. Furthermore, I to my knowledge, they had not roles of the Korean men and the Fil- was to explain that our stance in rela- received anyone officially representing the Unification ipino women who had participated in Church and Reverend the joint blessing. We Moon. We met with the requested and late Premier Kim II received support from our highest Sung and other level contacts in important officials. We realized that unifi- America to impress upon President cation could be pro- Ramos’ government moted by helping to the truth about the remove the barriers to role of our movement the relationship between the United in the Philippines, States and North and to clarify and defuse all the explo- Korea. This process is sive words our not just a North-South detractors and ene- Korean issue, but mies were using to something in which try to destroy our America plays a major movement in that role for many reasons. One of these is the country. The welcomes our Antonio Betancourt and Bill Selig (second from left and far left) and members of presence of 37,000 True Parents have the Summit Council’s Commission on Korean Reunification meet with Premier American troops received from heads Kim II Sung and General Kim long II in their homeland of North Korea south of the 38th par- of state in Latin allel, a deployment American recent years has partly been tion to North Korea was no longer one that goes back to the Korean War for the result of the Summit Council’s of confrontation and conflict, but that which there is as yet no final settlement. efforts. We have reached out to the we were promoting reconciliation and . Another is North Korea’s alleged pur- highest leaders in Latin America and the healing of the past, and looking for suance of a nuclear weapons program other parts of the world and explained a way to work together toward the uni- that could trigger an arms race of to them the value and contributions of fication of both Koreas and the creation weapons of mass destruction in North- our movement and thus inspired them of a new Korea with God at its center. east Asia. to treat True Parents with proper proto- Because of our controversial past, I Under the guidance of Dr. Bo Hi col and dignity. was kicked out of several embassies. In Pak, the Summit Council received assis- The Summit Council and the Federa- some places I found myself persona tance from those having significant and tion for World Peace are equipped and non grata, for example, in Moscow and appropriate influence in the corridors of trained both through our experience Beijing: even though they welcomed me power. Through these contacts, we over many years and our high level as a director of an international NGO, expressed what we felt to be the impor- contacts around the worJd to be a force when I told them who I was, the tance of upgrading the discussion to a for peace on behalf of True Parents. We ambassador would stand up and leave, level that could effect changes in US- have the desire and capability to sup- and ask his people to escort me out. North Korean policy. With the support port True Parents in their emergence as They were very upset. I was deter- of the members of the Summit Council, major players in the affairs of conflict mined to enter North Korea because I former presidents and heads of state resolution, economic justice, and world felt that the Summit Council could do a who became part of the commission on development through our contacts and lot of humanitarian good for Korea, Korean reunification, and other presti- liaison with international financial and promote unification, and help change gious citizens with whom we had been technological institutions, and with the image that North Korea had of True able to build relationships, we con- people who are making very positive Parents and our movement. Father tributed to North Korea’s being given things happen in America and beyond. requested me to personally meet with greater priority on the US international

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agenda. We nourished the dialogue , spoke with the Korea once it had begun: through bringing US desk at the US State dignitaries to North Korea we assisted Department and with Pyongyang in understanding the US the United Nations. and what they could do to improve Through our contacts, relations with the United States. Sum- we impressed upon mit Council efforts helped open the some of the western way for True Parents’ historic trip to governments that it was North Korea in 1991 [when Father met important for them to with Premier Kim 11Sung], which set consider assisting the course for the Summit Council in its North Korea through pursuit of peace and the resolution of the UN. Whenthe UN . conflict through dialogue for the Kore- launched its famine an peninsula in the 1990s and beyond. appeal for North Korea, Always under consultation with Dr. ‘our Summit Council Pak, I shuttled back and forth between . members were already Washington and Pyongyang. I met five in place to advise their countries to Korea needs to understand that they times with the late Premier Kim 11Sung help. We have been doing a lot of need God and True Parents. As children and twice had the opportunity to meet humanitarian work for North Korea we all need parents and the uncondi- with General Kim long 11.I was the behind the scenes. tionallove that comes from parents. only American to attend The South Koreans True Father and Mother are not just Premier Kim’s funeral. I and Americans need to some leaders who want to lead or influ- was in Pyongyang the When the famine start- grow in heart and ence North Korea, politically or eco- day he died. I left the ed in North Korea back intellect about the real nomically. They come in the position of same morning, only to situation in North True Parents to raise this country to return two days later in 1995, and the prob- Korea. Both countries what it should be in the region and when they invited me lem was totally neMj need a long-term world. We will continue to help and to to be present at the vision on how to raise the consciousness of leaders in the Summit Council South Korea and the United States to funeral together with engage the North. Of Dr. Bo Hi Pak. worked to help alert primary importance is guide North Korea out of its present the world about the to stop using food as predicament with respect and dignity, When the famine an economic tool for and eventually to the unification of both started in North Korea hunger problem. foreign policy. Food Koreas which is the will of God. back in 1995,and the and other humanitari.. Today through the Federation for problem was totally an assistance should be World Peace, AULA, and other off- new, the Summit Council worked to given without any strings attached. Our shoots of the Summit Council, such as help alert the world about the hunger movement should continue to assist, the World Institute for Development problem. I traveled to Europe and especially in educating the world so and Peace, our work continues and spoke in Strasbourg at the Council of that it can better understand North expands in areas important for the Europe with members of the European Korea. providence. . parliament. I spoke in France with Pres- We are peacemakers, unifiers, and ident Mitterrand’s advisors on Korea. I harmonizers. The leadership in North [Edited for Today’s World] …