Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Beginning of the Unification Movement - Pre-1960's Photos, Timeline and Testimonies — Sun Myung Moon

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Rev. Moon was born as the second son of Kyung Yu Moon (father) of the Nam Pyung Moon clan and Kyung Gye Kim (mother) of the Yeon An Kim clan.

At that time – until 1945, Korea was ruled by the Japanese, often with violent oppression.

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Rev. Moon was born on the sixth day of the first lunar month in 1920 in Dokon village in Pyong-An Province.

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Father was born in Chonju County.

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April 1: Transfers to Osan Private Primary School, third grade.

Father at around 14.

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Father at around 16 with Sunday school teacher

April 1 : Transfers to Jeongju Public Primary School, fourth grade

April 17 . Father meets Jesus during Easter week. Jesus asks Father to complete the mission that Jesus had started – to build a world of peace and co-prosperity. Eventually, Father accepts.

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Father at Sunday school (Bottom row, third boy from center ).

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Father (right) around 18 years old.

March 25 : Graduates from Jeongju Public Primary School

April 12 : Enters Gyeongseong

School of Commerce and Industry, majoring in electrical engineering

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True Father around 20 years old.

March 8 : Graduates from Gyeongseong School of Commerce and Industry

April 1: Father takes the ferry to Shimonoseki to continue studies in Japan.

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April: Father enters the Waseda Technical High School affiliated with Waseda University, Tokyo, majoring in electrical engineering.

Here, he starts working on discovering the philosophical and religious framework that would allow humans to build a culture that would lead to a world of peace and co-prosperity – which later becomes The Divine Principle.

During his studies, he often criticized the Japanese authorities for dominating his country.

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September 30 : Father graduates from the Waseda Technical High School

October : Father returns to Korea after completing studies in Japan

10 Feb 1942 - Hak- ja

Han – Father’s future wife (True Mother) – was born - Anju, North Pyeongan Province.

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Her father was Seung- woon Han. Her father was a schoolteacher and an active member of Rev. Yong-do Lee’s New Jesus Church.

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Her mother was Soon-ae Hong. She was a Presbyterian when she was young. Later, however, she became a member of the New Jesus Church, Seong-do Kim’s Holy Lord Church, and the “Inside the Belly Church” under Heo Ho-bin.

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May 4, 1944 : Rev. Moon married Ms Choi Sun-gil, a devout Christian. Before their marriage, he clearly informed her of his mission to rebuild God’s kingdom.

She accepts. She later divorces him due to his commitment to his mission.

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Father is detained at the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Station for work in the underground anti-Japanese movement; endures severe torture

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Kim Baek-moon

February : Father is released from Gyeonggi Provincial Police Station; returns to Jeongju to recuperate

August 15 : Day of Korea’s liberation from Japanese occupation; True Father begins his public ministry.

October : Father

– seeking support for his divine calling - ministers at Kim Baek-moon’s Israel Monastery in Sangdo -don

At the end of WW2, the Japanese left Korea. It is divided in two with the communist USSR controlling the north and the US and allies controlling the south.

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Kim Baek-moon’s Israel Monastery

March : Kim Baek-moon testifies to True Father: “You are a man with the mission of King Solomon,” yet he does not support or follow him

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May 27 : God advises Father to go to communist North Korea to preach his new revelation. He departs the same day.

June 6 : Father arrives in Pyeongyang (known as the Jerusalem of the East) and goes on to establish his church at Gyeongchang-ri

August 11 : Father is jailed for religious activities at the Daedong Detention Centre and is tortured

November 21 : Father is released from the Daedong Detention Centre.

Sung-jin Nim was born – the son of Father and Choi Sun-gil

Father’s 43-day spiritual battle in the spirit world; he receives God’s Royal Seal regarding the truth of the Divine Principle that has been revealed to him.

Here, we have a testimony

from Father’s pioneer church: “You can’t imagine what happened when Father gave a sermon in those days. People would be caught up in a spiritual fire and receive spiritual messages. They could be consumed in crying in repentance, and then their sorrow would be replaced by joy and relief and they would begin dancing. Those who had some ailment like a stomach malady or backache were often touched by the spiritual fire, and they would be cured.”

Ms. In- ju Kim visited

Father’s church at that time.

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February 22 : Communists detained Father at the Pyeongyang Bureau of Internal Affairs after complaints from Christian churches.

April 7 : Father is sentenced to five years in prison for “disrupting the social order” and transferred to Pyeongyang Prison.

May 20 : Father is transferred from Pyeongyang Prison to Bongoong Labour Camp. June 21 : Father is transferred to the Heungnam Special Labor Camp in Deok- ri , Heungnam .

September 9 : Sentence is reduced to three years and four months on the occasion of the anniversary of the establishment of the North Korean government. His job was to bag toxic fertilizer, which was then sent to the USSR.

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Loading fertilizer bags onto a ship bound for the USSR. Many prisoners died from hunger or disease within a year.

Here, Mr. Chung Hwa Pak shares

about his time in Heungnam with Father.

One of Father’s disciples shares

about what he learned from Father about life in Heungnam .

Michael Breen collected information

about Father’s life in Heungnam .

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Hak- ja Han is given a blessing by the mother of Heo Ho-bin, founder of the Inside the Womb Church, that she will become “Heaven’s Bride”

She travels south, crosses the 38th parallel, and arrives in South Korea with her maternal grandmother, Jo Won- mo , and her mother, Hong Soon-ae ( Daemonim ).

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Hak- ja Han was raised in her maternal grandparents’ home. Her grandfather, Yu-il Hong, was from Namyang, and her grandmother, Won- mo Cho, was from Yongbyon; both were devout Christians.

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June 25: The Korean War breaks out. Communist USSR supports the Korean army in the north to invade the south. The UN forms a coalition to protect the south.

August 1 : Heavy bombing of the Heungnam

fertilizer factory by the UN; Father calls the prisoners to stay within 12 meters of him, and those who do so are protected.

October 14 : Father is freed from Heungnam Prison. The length of his imprisonment was 2 years, 7 months and 21 days.

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October 24: Father walks to Pyeongyang and spends 40 days searching for the members

of his church.

December 4 : Father leaves Pyeongyang as a refugee, traveling with his first disciple Kim Won- pil . They also helped Pak Jeong- hwa escape. He had an injured leg, and they had to push him on a bicycle.

January 3 : Father leaves Seoul to seek refuge ahead of the advancing Chinese communist army. He journeys from Gyeongju to Busan with Kim Won- pil , traveling on foot from Gyeongju to Ulsan and by train from Ulsan to Busan.

January 27 : Father arrives in Busan, now a giant refugee camp with many flooding in from the north.

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Rev. Moon with the first three members of the Unification Movement - Grandmother Ok Se- hyeon , Grandmother Ji Seung-do, and Kim Won- pil . Ms Jeong Dal-ok was also one of the first disciples. They all originally had been members of Kim Baek-moon’s church.

One can read Won- pil Kim’s testimony

about their trip southward.

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January 31 : Father moves in with Aum Duk -mun, a schoolmate

in Japan, after meeting him on the street.

May to August : Lives with Won- pil Kim at a boarding house at Beomnaetgol , Busan.

May 11 : Father begins writing Wolli Wonbon (the first written version of Divine Principle) in

Gwejeong -dong, Busan

August : He builds a cardboard and mud hut at Beomnaetgol near Sujeong

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May 10 : Father finishes writing Wolli Wonbon , the first written version of Divine Principle.

Father witnesses to new members of his church. Won- pil Kim and Father make money by painting pictures of the American troops.

You can read Won- pil Kim’s testimony about Father’s pioneering days in Busan here .

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December 1 : Father witnesses to evangelist Ms Kang Hyeon- sil .

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The Rock of Tears in Busan – the first Holy Ground where Father sheds endless tears in prayer. God hopes his children can live in peace as one human family, and He suffers intensely because his children so often behave cruelly towards each other.

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January : Moves from Beomnaetgol to Sujeong -dong in Busan.

July 20: Sends Ms. Kang Hyeon- sil to Daegu for 40 days of pioneering evangelism . Father later moves to support her but experiences intense persecution.

27 July 1953 : Korean War ends. The country is divided. Many people in the south will never see their family members in the north again.

September 17 : Father moves his ministry from Busan to Seoul. He witnesses to Mr. Eu Hyo-won.

December 24 : Special 25-day workshop to educate Eu Hyo-won and others, Yeongdo Island, Busan

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April 26 : Moves to Seoul

May 1 : Founding of the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC), at 391 Bughak -dong, Seongdong-gu , Seoul

July: Appointment of the church’s first three pastors: Eu Hyo-won for Seoul, Lee Bong-un for Busan, and Lee Yo-han for Daegu

December 31 : Founding of the Seonghwa Christian Students Association with students who had joined his movement.

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Rev. Moon constantly revealed more of his revelation.

Rev. Eu became President of HSA-UWC and would take notes and update the Principle.

You can read Won- pil Kim’s testimony about the early years of the Seoul church here.

David S.C. Kim shares his experience of joining

the movement. He later became the President of the Unification Theological Seminary in the US.

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Though physically unwell, Pres. Eu was the prime lecturer, often lecturing to new guests for up to 18 hours a day. His energy and insights inspired many to join. Because of serious back pain, he often lectured for days while lying on his back.

Many people found that their long-term illnesses were cured after listening to the Principle (e.g.,

Mrs. Dae Wha Chung , who later became Pres. Eu’s wife, had serious health problems until she heard the Principle.

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A witnessing leaflet from 1954, written in English, can be seen here .

Ms Youn-young Yang, a relative of Mr. Eu, shares her testimony

of how she joined.

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January 17 : Headquarters Church moves to Heungin -dong in Seongdong-gu , Seoul. Seongwha Young Men’s Association is founded.

February 22 : Founding of the Seonghwa Youth Association

March 27 : Inaugural edition of Seonghwa magazine

March 30 : First Divine Principle examination, Headquarters Church, Seoul

April 27 : Headquarters Church moves to

Jangchung -dong in Jung- gu , Seoul

Hee-jin Nim, father’s second son, was born.

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At the start of 1955, hundreds of students and several professors from Ewha Women’s University and Yonsei Men’s University listened to the Divine Principle. Many were inspired by this revelation and started coming to the church.

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Since they were both Christian-run universities, the success of the witnessing activities caused concern among the university authorities.

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The universities forced the students and staff to choose between their connection with Rev. Moon and their places at the university.

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June 1955 , some were expelled. Yonsei: 1 Professor and 2 Students; Ewha: 5 Professors and 14 students.

Won-chin Hwang, one of the male students, shares his testimony

of joining. He mentions how tearful some of the sermons were.

You can read Dae- wha Chong’s testimony .

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Women from Ewha University singing together.

Father named this group the Myung Won group. Myung is from Father’s name and means brightness of the sun and moonlight; won is a circle and means making the world harmonious and peaceful.

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Dr. Young- oon Kim joins. She was a professor at Ewha University. You can read her testimony of how she met True Father here .

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Mrs. Won Pok Choi also worked at Ewha University and was fired for her beliefs. Behind the scenes she consistently worked to support Father and Mother for many years.

You can read her short testimony here .

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The Ewha experience stirred up a lot of Christian anger against Rev. Moon’s young movement.

July 5, 1955 , they pushed the authorities to arrest Rev. Moon on the charge that he had evaded the draft during the Korean War. Father and four church leaders are imprisoned in Seodaemun Prison awaiting trial.

Excerpts from Pres. Eu’s diary from around this time can be found here .

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September 20: Their trial begins in Seoul District Court, Division 1.

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They were kept in prison until Oct 3, 1955.

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They were then found not guilty and released.

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October 7, 1955 : The Headquarters Church moves to its new headquarters at Cheongpa -dong 1-ga, Seoul.

October 23 : Father established the Middle and High School Seonghwa Students Association because many high school students were joining.

Won- pil Kim shares

about the church at Cheongpa -dong

Mr Jong- yong You shares how he joined .

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The sign on the door at the headquarters – a very big goal for a small organization.

As Father said several times – he didn’t wish to start another church – but wished to unite Christian churches around Jesus’ vision to build one family under God.

The constant rejection by Christian leaders to work together for this larger vision caused Father to go the way of building his own foundation.

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March : True Mother meets True Father for the first time.

April 10 : Mother enters Seongjeong Girls Middle School, Seoul (later acquired by our educational foundation and renamed Seonjeong

Middle School).

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October 4 : Publication of Holy Songs.

October 14 : Founding of the Seonghwa Adults Association

Dr Sang Hun Lee

joined . He later developed Unification Thought – the Divine Principle as a philosophy.

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True Father typically preached about his new revelation passionately until his clothes were wet with sweat.

During the services, the Holy Spirit was present, and many felt called to sacrifice everything to work towards building a world of love and unity.

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For many hours, he prayed intensely and shed many tears as he felt the sadness of Heavenly Father – because humanity struggled to unite as one loving family under God.

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July 14 : Members fast for 7 days.

July 20 : The first 40-day summer witnessing condition: 120 locations in 70 cities. As a result, 30 new churches were established.

August 15 : Publication of Wolli Haeseol (Explanation of the Divine Principle)

Educational seminars were continually held.

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Witnessing occurs in many pioneer cities and villages.

Ms. Il-soon Youn shares her pioneering experiences .

of Ms. Byung-sook Lim “How I joined.”

of Mr. Chung- sik Woo.

of Ms. Yun Jung-un. She shares how she joined and her experience of being blessed as part of the 36-couple blessing.

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Colonel Bo Hi Pak joined

the church. In 1961, he became one of the first missionaries to America. When Father later moved to the US, he played a major role as Father’s right-hand man.

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HSA-UWC consistently grew.

September 12 : Members are assigned to 120 outreach areas in Seoul by drawing lots.

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July 15, 1958 : Choi Bong-choon became the first international missionary for the movement. He went to Japan, a dangerous thing to do due to the bad relationship between Japan and S. Korea at that time.

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In the spring of 1953, one of the first disciples of Father, Mrs. Hyun- sil Kang, had been sent by Father to pioneer Daegu. This was her church around 1958.

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of Chung- hwan Kwak – how he joined and his future missions. He eventually became head of the International Missions Department and thus became the main coordinator for the movement’s wider outreach activities.

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January 2: The first missionary was sent to Eugene, Oregon, USA – Ms Young- oon Kim.

January 10 : first nationwide training of preachers.

March 7 : Founding of the Yeong Seong Choir.

By the end of the year, churches increased to 70.

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Beyond his intense missionary calling and seriousness, True Father was known to have a wonderful sense of humour and a playful mindset.

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March 25 : Mother graduates from Seongjeong Girls’ Middle School. – (Middle back row)

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April : Mother enters Saint Joseph’s Nursing School (middle – front row)

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September 18: David S. C. Kim was sent as the second missionary to the United States

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October 2, 1959 , Choi Bong-choon held his first worship services in Tokyo.

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The early church members did many different things to raise money. Father and Won- pil Kim first raised money by painting pictures for the American soldiers. Later, members collected and sold stamps, worked in fields, and much more. However, much of the time, the members went hungry.

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Rev. Moon’s 40 th birthday celebration

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March 27 : True Parents’ Engagement Ceremony followed by the Proclamation of Parents’ Day.

11 th April . Rev Moon married Hak- ja Han

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April 11 : Distribution of Holy Salt.

The beginning of the First Seven-Year Course to develop the movement around the world

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April 16 : the Marriage Blessing of the first 3 couples of the 36 Couples Blessing, Cheongpa -dong Headquarters Church. Left to right - Eu Hyo-won and So Gil- ja , Kim Won- pil and Dal-ok Chong, and Kim Young- whi and Dae- wha Chung.

You can read Kim Young- whi’s memories of his blessing here .

The building of families “ centered on true love” is central to Father’s vision to the building of a world where God’s love can dwell.

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Eu Hyo-won and So Gil- ja .

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Their wedding banquet

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