Behind the Headlines: Ambassadors for Peace in North Korea

Cho Sun~-nak Pyongyang, the site for the peace park ject in lifting a total ban on the South. Secretary-general of IIFWP Korea in Jeongju, the International Friendship They had not looked into the possibility Exhibition Hall near Mt. Myohyang and of such a project and, after throwing then the Pyeonghwa Motors Assembly open the door, they initially held up the

W HENconsidering the history of exchanges between the two Plant in Nampo. The Mt. Keumgang project on the grounds of high structur- Koreas, October 19, 2002 is a Tours conducted by Hyundai simply al costs. Apparently, they have now day that will be remembered for a long take people from the South on a tour of decided to fully implement it. We must time, because it was the historic day on Mt. Keumgang. When we take into con- not overlook the fact that they have which South Korean civilians traveled sideration that the first to Pyongyang for the purpose of general condition for tourism for the first time since the parti- traveling to a place is tion of Korea into North and South. In meeting local residents three trips with groups of a hundred and having some experi- each, three hundred leaders working ence of their daily I for North-South unification-some two thirds of whom were IIFWP Ambas- lifestyle, it is not quite I accurate to say those who sadors for Peace-toured Jeongju, Mt. have been on the Mt. Myohyang, Nampo and Pyongyang in Keumgang tours have tours we called Pyeonghwa Motors really visited North Company observation parties. Korea. The Mt. Keum- We wanted a name that would dif- gang tours fall far short ferentiate us from the Hyundai group of the usual meaning of tours to Mt. Keumgang. The name also travel to another land. indicates the fact that among the com- For whatever reason, panies with projects in North Korea, the North Korean author- Pyeonghwa Motors has been the most ities are adopting a more ~ successful at carrying out business. In a open-door policy to over- 70/30 joint venture deal with the Ryon- come their recent severe . . : ; ;~ :..~ .:z bong Company of North Korea, economic crisis. The fact . . ..~ Pyeonghwa Motors is importing parts for an Italian compact-sized car, the Siena, to their production plant in their southern counter- parts to tour Pyongyang I. that they have permitted ~… . I.

.’:~ ~ ~…/.

Nampo, where the cars are manufac- shows that they are going I”’” .. …

tured through the complete knock- all out in preparing an r -~”’-, down (CKD) method.1 Sales of the fin- epoch-making means of I

ished product, Hwiparam(“Whistling”), boosting their relation- are expected to be very good. ships with the South and .’” The schedule was tight; the trips last- West, including America. 2 ed just five days. The itinerary for the They seem to have taken groups included visiting various sites in great pains over this pro-

12 Today’s World

selected the Eederation at Shenyang Airport, China, bound for for World Peace (FWP) North Korea are a natural consequence as the organization in of the psychological effect derived from which they can put the one’s curiosity, fear, even hostilit)r, most trust and confi- toward-and yet intimacy with-the dence. communist North. Father visited the Soonan Airport in Pyongyang can be North in December likened to a country bus station, seclud- 199t and had a private ed and gloomy. One can immediately talk with Chairman Kim sense the difficult economic situation II-sung. At that time facing North Korea. Still, it is hard to Father went by his title understand why the airport, which is of President of the Fed- the gateway to the nation, is left as it is. eration for World Peace, As I have made many trips to North and that is how he is Korea, I can objectively testify to the referred to today in development and gradual changes tak- North Korea. For the ing place in the societ)r,but the airport past eleven years, since is the one place that remains his visit to the North, unchanged. Putting all the past and the FWP has been doing present facts together, I ca~ot help but well in managing the have an eerie feeling that it is kept that Potonggang Hotel, tak- way for some strategic purpose. ing on the running of As soon as we boarded the coach bus Pyeonghwa Motors and heading for the Potonggang Hotel, a conducting tours for [North Korean] guide from Mt. Keum- thousands of members gang Travel warmly greeted us, since from Japan and other we were the first group of tourists to countries who feel called visit Pyongyang from the South since to make the pilgrimage Korea’s division. Our tensions and fears to the holy ground [the were allayed the moment we heard the house where Father-was guide’s kindly voice. We are in fact one born]. FWP has built up nation and one brotherhood if we put a robust reputation of aside differences in ideologies and sys- maintaining a standard tems. beyond that of other The Potonggang Hotel is not a very organizations. large hotel. It has about 160 guest I first visited North rooms. After True Father’s visit, our Korea in 1994and have church purchased the hotel and took visited there more than over its management. Satellite TV ten times since. I was antennas were installed, facilities were therefore asked to lead repaired and the implementation of each of the three groups Western management techniques began. that went up as observa- For the past decade, the hotel has been tion teams. I was put in so successful that it has become an a position where I felt I object of envy of the other hotels in could maximize the sat- North Korea. When the observation isfaction of both the party arrived, we were welcomed with Photos: facing page top, one of the three groups North Korean govemment- warm applause by members of the in front of the Potong gang Hotel, on the which was flinging open its doors hotel staff, all of whom were standing construction site for our World Peace Center; to outsiders for the first time in in a line at the entrance. Their warm middle, on the Pyongyang subway train; fifty years-and the South Korean reception, coupled with the unexpect- bottom, (from left) Mr. Cho Sung-nak, Rev. sightseers, who would finally set edly bright and cosy environment, Hwang Sun-jo and Citizen’s Federation foot in the unknown land they made every one of us feel relieved, Chairman Rev. Yoo Chong-kwan in front of a have long desired to visit but have comfortable and at home. Pyongyang subway station (April 2002); this been unable to. Under the supervision of Park Sang- page top, Cho Sung-nak speaks with North It would be correct to say that kwon, president of Pyeonghwa Motors Korean cabinet minister leon Keum-jin (1999); no one visiting North Korea for and Pang Jong-sam, president of Mt. middle, a round of golf in North Korea: present the first time does so without feel- Keumgang Travel, who was our local along with some North Korean dignitaries are ing some tension at the outset. The guide, the reception dinner was held in (left) Cho Sung-nak and (fourth from left) Moon preconceptions built up over the a peaceful atmosphere. The food was so Yong-hyun, cousin of True Father and then more than half a century over delicious and plentiful that we were left president of the Tongil Group, plus lady which the peninsula has been par- wondering if food really was scarce in caddies; directly above, Mr. Cho at the main titioned, and the strangeness that North Korea. festival of the national 87th birthday celebration can be acutely felt the moment one The second day found us visiting the for Kim II-sung, some five years after his death. steps on the Koryo Airlines plane site for a World Peace Park at Won-

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scape on the return jour- Father is well known as the leader of ney reminded us of typi- the international Victory over Commu- I~ cal farm villages, all too nism (VOC) movement, he is supposed familiar to us back to be their bitterest enemy. We could home. It being harvest not believe this was happening. time, the sheaves of rice We spent the third day touring Mt. in every paddy field Myohyang and downtown Pyeong- were standing uniformly yang. Mt. Myohyang is famous for its in rows, and farmers International Friendship Exhibition Hall were loading vegetables, and the Bohyeon Temple. The Interna- such as cabbages and tional Friendship Exhibition Hall is turnips, onto bicycle built inside a cave carefully dug out of f 111 carts. As I watched my the foot of the mountain. It is divided fellow Koreans sweating into the Hall of Chairman Kim Il-sung ~t I and toiling for a living (50,000m2) and the Hall of the National _. , -.t~~.~~~..&~~iiU’.~ __~~ A. d in the tough environ- ment, I was deeply Defense Committee Chairman Kim Jong-il. Together they display a total of Visiting the Chang-gwang Kindergarten in Pyongyang touched with compas- over 210,000 types of rare and valuable bong-ri in the city of Jeongju, Father’s sion. gifts given by some of the world’s pres- birthplace, in North Pyeongan It seems to me the North Korean idents, political parties, social organiza- Province. Jeongju is about three hours authorities, owing to a strong sense of tions, company presidents and overseas by bus northwest of Pyongyang. On self-respect, will never disclose the Koreans. Our tour guide explained, our way there, at the point where the truth about the harsh lives of their peo- “Most of the exhibits in the museums in Cheongcheon River divides North pIe to outsiders, even today. From the France and the United Kingdom were Pyeongan Province from South Pyeon- fact that they specially made an excep- plundered from foreign countries, but gan Province is the city of Anju, South tion of our observation team, one can all the displays you see here are with- Pyeongan Province, the birthplace of guess at the degree of trust they have in out exception gifts contributed by peo- our True Mother. Our group stopped at the Federation for World Peace. ple who hold Chairman Kim Il-sung the Cheongcheon Riverside Hotel for a The house in which Father was born and National Defense Committee break. While resting, we saw the town is shabby-looking at first sight. We were Chairman Kim Jong-il in high esteem.” of Anju from a distance, shimmering amazed that the authorities had not When I heard that, I tended to agree with lights, and we momentarily senti- totally demolished it. They have pre- with the guide, but when I stared at the mentalized over the scene. The land- served what was still standing. As splendor of the large-scale building, the

Leaders of the Family Federation and other providential organizations at the birthplace of Kim II-sung. This is one of the major sites visitors from other countries are brought to see.

14 Today’s World

image of my suffering countrymen thirty minutes by bus haunted me. I could only console from Pyongyang. A bill- myself with the thought that this would board with Pyeonghwa not be possible were there no absolute Motors Assembly Plant power, and that these artifacts will at [in Hangul] in large let- least have some value from a historical ters can easily be spotted point of view. on the side of the road. The Bohyeon Temple is famous as The sturdy factory was the place where the Buddhist monk built with the latest con- Seosan led an ascetic and monastic life. struction methods and I was exceedingly impressed at the way equipped with modern the temple facilities are maintained, and production facilities. As I that even an original version of the saw several dozen cars Korean Buddhist scripture Palman dae- lined up in the ware- Janggyeong printed on paper from the house, waiting to be wood printing blocks housed in the delivered, a thousand Haein Temple in South Korea is being emotions welled up in carefully kept.3 After the trip, we had me, for I had been lunch at the Hyangsang Hotel at the involved in setting up entrance to the mountain park. The this enterprise in its early taste of the food seemed an unforget- stages. table memory. On the bus returning As a means of propaganda, the from Pyongyang, Park North Korean authorities took us to Sang-kwon confidently (among others) the Juche Sasang [ideolo- remarked that if those Top, the entrance to the Pyeonghwa Motors Assembly gy of self-sufficiency] Tower,4King cars crossed the 38th par- Plant; above, Park Sang-gwon, president of Pyeonghwa Dongmyeong’s royal tomb,s the Chang- alleloverland,Pyeongh- wa Motors will have ful- Motors, explaining the plant to the visiting leaders and gwang Kindergarten,6 for a ride on the Ambassadors for Peace Pyongyang subway, and Chairman Kim filled its role of unifying II-sung’s hometown and place of birth, the two Koreas in both name and reali- the day of unification is not far away.. Mangyeong. We could easily see the ty. I dwelt on his words in my mind point they were trying to drive home. Footnotes and prayed fervently for the success of After that, we ate cold noodles at the the automobile project. Through my 1 Product is assembled from basic components. famous Okryu Restau- experience, I know without a doubt that 2 This account was written before the present rant/ followed a path its success will pave the way for difficulties over nuclear facilities emerged. up to the Moran Peak smoothly advancing the unification of 3 The wooden printing plates housed in the and reached the Ulmil North and South, which is our long- Haein Temple (South Korea)were made in the Plateau. As I bent and awaited, cherished hope. 13th century. The plates contain 52 million looked down on the The traveling expenses to characters. beautiful Daedong Pyongyang and back were high, 4150-meter high tower topped by 20-meter River, I meditated on although it is merely 240 kilometers high flame opened in 1982 on Kim II-sung’s my desire for unifica- from Seoul. Prior to making the trip, 70th birthday. tion, telling myself, when I thought of our observation team “How nice it would be traveling around that land for a few sKing Dongmyeong founded Koguryo in 277 if the unification days, I felt upset and thought that it BC The tomb was built in the 5th century and process could be has- moved when Koguryo transferred its capital to would be a waste of money. tened, and many more However, when we met our brothers Pyongyang. of my compatriots from in the North face-to-face and shook 6 Thesame kindergarten that first lady Lee the South could freely their hands, ate and chatted with them, Hui-ho of South Korea was taken to on the travel to Pyongyang to I found that we could communicate occasion of the first ever summit between enjoy cold noodles at with one another heart-to-heart. What North and South Korean heads of state. Okryu Restaurant and philosophy and system on earth could 7 Its 11,500 square meters of floor space can climb the Moran Peak.” have caused the pain of separation that accommodate 3,000 diners. The Pyeonghwa we feel to this day? My heart was all Motors Assembly Plant pent up with rage and I was at a loss stands proudly on a for words. I now see being able to take three hundred leaders of the North- ~r. Cho looks over the Daedong River large plot of land one from the Okryu Restaurant million square meters South unification movement to in size at the end of the Pyongyang and back as a miracle, and ten-lane divided high- so I have new hope. When I compare way, the Young Hero the reality of today’s North Korea with Expresswa~ that the time I first went to Pyongyang in stretches from 1994, I can actually sense a transforma- Pyongyang to Nampo. tion that is beyond my imagination. If It takes approximately this trend continues, I am certain that

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