List of Unification movement people

Template:Short description Notable members and supporters of the Unification Church, founded by Sun Myung Moon.

Moon family

The family of Reverend Sun Myung Moon (1920–2012), founder and leader of the Unification Church, and his wife Hak Ja Han are known as the "True Family". Moon and Han are known as "True Father" and "True Mother" within the movement, and collectively "True Parents". They were married in 1960.<ref name="neusner">Template:Cite book</ref> Their children are known as the "True Children":

• Hyo Jin Moon (1960–2008) – Moon and Han's first son, who died of a heart attack in 2008.<ref name="NewRepub">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He was a musician and a recording facility executive. He was born in South Korea and grew up in the United States in New York State.<ref name="upiobit2008">Staff report (March 18, 2008). Son of Unification Church founder dies. United Press International</ref>
• Heung Jin Moon (1966–1984) – Moon and Han's second son, who died in an auto accident and is believed by members to be leading workshops in the afterlife in which spirits of deceased persons are taught Unification movement teachings.<ref name=IntrovigneCESNUR>"From the Unification Church to the Unification Movement, 1994–1999: Five Years of Dramatic Changes" by Massimo Introvigne, a condensed version of material in The Unification Church, in the series "Studies in Contemporary Religion", Signature Books.</ref>
• Un Jin Moon (born 1967) – Moon and Han's daughter. She left the church and divorced her husband, who had been picked for her by her parents.<ref>Johnson, Richard (July 10, 1998) The Dark Side of the Moon Family. New York Post.</ref>
• In Jin Moon – Moon and Han's second daughter and president of the Unification Church of the United States from 2008 to 2012.<ref name=NPR2010>Unification Church Woos A Second Generation, National Public Radio, June 23, 2010</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Kook Jin Moon – Moon and Han's fourth son. Businessman and firearms designer. Owns and operates Kahr Arms, a U.S. small arms manufacturer,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> former chairman of Tongil Group, a South Korean chaebol associated with the Unification Church.<ref name="jad2010">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="fm2010">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Hyun Jin Moon (born 25 May 1969) – Moon and Han's son, a social entrepreneur, and the founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation and the Family Peace Association.<ref>"Global Peace Foundation Holds 2012 Convention, a World Peace Gathering." PRWeb. PRWeb, 14 November 2012. Web. 27 May 2015.</ref>
• Sun Jin Moon – Moon and Han's daughter, appointed by Han as international president of the Unification Church in March 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Young Jin Moon (1978–1999) – Moon and Han's second-youngest son who died of suicide in 1999, jumping from a casino window.<ref name="NewRepub">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• Hyung Jin Moon (born 1979) – Moon and Han's youngest son and former international president of the Unification Church.<ref>Sons Rise in a Moon Shadow, Forbes, April 12, 2010</ref> He has since founded a Pennsylvania-based unofficial Unification Church militant offshoot, World Peace and Unification Sanctuary, also known as "Rod of Iron Ministries".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Unification Church members

• Ek Nath Dhakal, Nepalese politician.<ref>Nepal: The Peace Tour Visit</ref>
• Mose Durst – President of the Unification Church of the United States in the 1980s, author, educator.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• David Eaton (born July 2, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American composer and conductor who has been the music director of the New York City Symphony since 1985.<ref>The New York City Symphony was "purchased/rescued" by Rev. Sun Myung Moon in 1973. From 1985 through 1990, the organization received the bulk of its funding in the form of an annual grant/subsidy from the International Cultural Foundation, a church-related entity. The ICF subsidy ended in 1990, and since 1991 the orchestra has received support (grants, contributions, in-kind, earned income) from a variety of sources (National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council of the Arts, NY Daily News, Sony/Columbia, New York Stock Exchange, The Turkish Embassy, Uptown Chamber of Commerce, Universal Peace Federation, e.g.)</ref><ref>The New York Times, Review by Will Crutchfield, June 1985</ref>
• Dan Fefferman – Executive Director of the International Coalition for Religious Freedom.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Patrick Hickey – Nevada state legislator and author of Tahoe Boy: A Journey Back Home, his autobiography which told of his experiences as a Unification Church leader and of his marriage to a Korean woman introduced to him by Moon.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Nansook Hong – Ex-wife of Hyo Jin Moon and ex-member of the Unification Church. Author of a book about her experiences, In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family.<ref>Hong, Nansook. (1998). In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. (Template:ISBN)</ref><ref name="controversialreligions">Template:Cite book</ref>
• Dong Moon Joo is a Korean American businessman. He is a member of the Unification Church and is best known as the president of The Washington Times. During the presidency of George W. Bush, Joo had undertaken unofficial diplomatic missions to North Korea in an effort to improve its relationship with the United States.<ref name = "beast2712">The Bush Administration's Secret Link to North Korea, Aram Roston, The Daily Beast, February 7, 2012</ref>
• Frank Kaufmann – Comparative religion scholar; editor of journal Dialogue and Alliance; IRFWP director<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Young Oon Kim (1914–1989) was a leading theologian of the Unification movement and its first missionary to the United States.<ref name="Yamamoto">J. Isamu Yamamoto, 1974, Unification Church: Zondervan guide to cults & religious movements, Zondervan, Template:ISBN pages 8 and 22</ref>
• Chung Hwan Kwak – Former chairman and president of United Press International and of News World Communications, Inc.; former leader of many other Unification Church-affiliated organizations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Honorary President of the Global Peace Foundation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Tom McDevitt – President of The Washington Times,<ref>The Washington Times, Hunting For a Bionic Editor in Chief</ref> from 2007 to 2009.<ref>Three top executives ousted by Washington Times, Frank Ahrens and Howard Kurtz, Washington Post, November 10, 2009</ref> Unification movement spokesperson,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and pastor in the Washington, D.C., region.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Julia Moon (born 1963) – widow, by posthumous wedding, of Heung Jin Moon; born Hoon Sook Pak, oldest daughter of longtime major leader and key aide Bo Hi Pak; General Director and former prima ballerina of Universal Ballet, South Korea.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Bo Hi Pak (1930−2019) — Founding chairman and president of The Washington Times; main translator (during the 70s and 80s) for Moon's speeches given to English speaking audiences. Author of Messiah, a biography of Sun Myung Moon.<ref>Messiah</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Junko Sakurada (桜田 淳子) – Singer and actress.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Neil Albert Salonen – Former president of the Unification Church of the United States and of the University of Bridgeport.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Lee Shapiro (1949–1987) – Documentary filmmaker, died while filming in Afghanistan in 1987, during the Soviet–Afghan War.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Josette Sheeran – Vice Chairman of the World Economic Forum, formerly executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme and journalist and editor of The Washington Times.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Kevin Thompson – Pastor of the Bay Area Family Church, a Unification Church congregation located in San Leandro, California.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Jonathan Wells (1942–2024) – Author of Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? and former senior fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Andrew Wilson – Professor at Unification Theological Seminary; editor of World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts.<ref name="controversialreligions" />

Supporters of the Unification Church

• Ralph Abernathy, minister, civil rights leader, served as vice president of the Unification Church-affiliated group American Freedom Coalition,<ref name="leigh">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nix">Template:Cite news</ref> and served on two Unification movement boards of directors.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

• Shinzo Abe (1954–2022), Prime Minister of Japan (2006 - 2007 and 2012 - 2020). He was linked indirectly to the Japanese Unification Church, and these remote ties were cited as a major motive for his assassination in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Neil Bush, businessman, son of 41st President George H. W. Bush and brother of 43rd President George W. Bush, promoted Moon and the Unification Church at events in Asia-Pacific and the United States.<ref>:: Welcome to Manila Bulletin Online ::</ref><ref>WTimes, Bushes Hail Rev. Moon, Robert Parry, 10-2-2009</ref>
• Manu Chandaria, Kenyan businessman, is a member of the Global Leadership Council and the patron and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation in Africa.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Danny K. Davis, United States congressman co-sponsored a 2004 ceremony in which Moon was crowned the "King of Peace."<ref name=babington>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Louis Farrakhan, the leader of The Nation of Islam, an African American Islamic organization, served as a "co-officiator" at a Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church.<ref>From the Unification Church to the Unification Movement, 1994–1999: Five Years of Dramatic Changes Massimo Introvigne, Center for Studies on New Religions "The ceremony in Washington, D.C., included six "co-officiators" from other faiths, including controversial minister Louis Farrakhan from the Nation of Islam. The Blessing ceremony in Seoul on February 7, 1999 also featured seven co-officiators including Orthodox Rabbi Virgil Kranz (Chairman of the American Jewish Assembly), controversial Catholic Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo and the General Superintendent of the Church of God in Christ (a large African American Pentecostal denomination), Rev. T.L. Barrett."</ref> In 2000 the Unification movement co-sponsored the Million Family March, a rally in Washington D.C. to celebrate family unity and racial and religious harmony, along with the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan was the main speaker at the event.<ref>Families Arrive in Washington For March Called by Farrakhan, New York Times, October 16, 2000</ref>
• Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the US House who spoke at events held by Unification Church-affiliated organizations and wrote opinion pieces for The Washington Times which is owned by the Unification Church.<ref name="insider 2022 0820">Template:Citation</ref>
• Morton Kaplan, author and University of Chicago professor of political science. Editor of Unification Church owned The World & I magazine and organizer of movement sponsored conferences.<ref name=":0" />
• Kim Chong Pil (1926–2018), South Korean politician and founder of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), supported the Unification Church's political activism in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Nobusuke Kishi (1896–1987), Japanese politician and Prime Minister and grandfather of Shinzo Abe. He was longstanding supporter the Japanese Unification Church, which his postwar political agenda led him to help set up in 1963.<ref>Andrew Marshall, Michiko Toyama: In The Name of the Godfather, Tokyo Journal, October 1994. Pages 29–35</ref>
• Douglas MacArthur II, American diplomat. Chairman of the World Media Association and member of the editorial advisory board of the Washington Times.<ref name=":0">Church Spends Millions On Its Image, Washington Post, 1984-09-17.</ref>
• Emmanuel Milingo, now excommunicated Roman Catholic archbishop, married by Moon in 2001 to Unification Church member and supporter of Unification Church projects.<ref>Archbishop rejects Vatican ultimatum</ref><ref>The archbishop's wife speaks for herself National Catholic Reporter August 31, 2001</ref>
• Richard L. Rubenstein, author and educator. Appointed by Moon as president of the University of Bridgeport.<ref>U. of Bridgeport Honors Rev. Moon, Fiscal Savior, New York Times, September 8, 1995</ref>
• Ryoichi Sasakawa, Japanese businessman and philanthropist. Supported Moon's anti-communist work in Asia.<ref>The Resurrection Of Reverend Moon Template:Webarchive PBS, Frontline, January 21, 1992</ref><ref>Sun Myung Moon Changes Robes, New York Times, January 21, 1992</ref>
• Ninian Smart (1927–2001), Scottish author and professor at University of Lancaster and University of California at Santa Barbara. President of the American Academy of Religion. Supported the Inter Religious Federation for World Peace, the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences and other Unification Church affiliated projects.<ref>Prophets and protons: new religious movements and science in late twentieth-century America, Benjamin E. Zeller, NYU Press, page 22</ref>
• George Augustus Stallings, Jr., former Roman Catholic priest. Organized Washington, D.C. coronation of Moon. Married and his wife were in Unification Church celebration.<ref name="babington" />
• Peter Tapsell, former Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives. In 2006, he sponsored the Unification Church organization Universal Peace Federation in New Zealand and spoke at a rally with Mrs. Moon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Donald Trump, real estate investor and President of the United States (2017–2021 and 2025-) gave speeches at the event hosted by an affiliate of the Unification Church supporting Han's leadership and calling for Korean reunification.<ref>Yeonhap News - Trump: "My greatest achievement during my presidency was contributing to the construction of a new path between the two Koreas."</ref><ref>Huffington Post: "Trump hails Unification Church"</ref><ref>The Independent: "Trump gives virtual speech"</ref><ref>TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO NEWSDAY: "Carmona, Trump call for Korean reunification"</ref>

Commentators on and opponents of the Unification Church

• Eileen Barker, British sociologist who studied the Unification Church's alleged brainwashing practices.<ref name="Rusher">Review, William Rusher, National Review, December 19, 1986.</ref>
• Michelle Goldberg is an American journalist and author, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times:<ref name="Nation">"Michelle Goldberg". The Nation. Retrieved January 27, 2017.</ref> "Like most Americans, Wineburg had been unaware of the power Moon holds in our nation's politics. Those events earned him a public reputation as a spectacle-mad eccentric, but that obscures his role as a significant D.C. power broker. In fact, Moon is an important patron of the Republican party and of the conservative movement."<ref>Michelle Goldberg in 2006. Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism. 1st ed. W. W. Norton. p. 118</ref>
• Steven Hassan, who served as a leader in the Unification Church of the United States before turning into anti-cult critic.<ref name="insider 2022 0820"/>
• Masaki Kito, acting executive for Zenkoku Benren.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
• John Lofland lived with HSA-UWC missionary Young Oon Kim and a small group of American members and studied their activities. Lofland published his findings in 1964 as a doctoral thesis entitled "The World Savers: A Field Study of Cult Processes", and in 1966 in book form by Prentice-Hall as Doomsday Cult: A Study of Conversion, Proselytization, and Maintenance of Faith.<ref>Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America: African diaspora traditions and other American innovations, Volume 5 of Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America, W. Michael Ashcraft, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, Template:ISBN, Template:ISBN, page 180</ref><ref>Exploring New Religions, Issues in contemporary religion, George D. Chryssides, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001Template:ISBN, Template:ISBN p. 1</ref><ref>Exploring the climate of doomTemplate:Webarchive, Rich Lowry, 2009-12-19 'The phrase "doomsday cult" entered our collective vocabulary after John Lofland published his 1966 study, "Doomsday Cult: A Study of Conversion, Proselytization, and Maintenance of Faith." Lofland wrote about the Unification Church.'</ref><ref>Conversion Template:Webarchive, Unification Church Template:Webarchive, Encyclopedia of Religion and Society, Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Hartford Seminary</ref>
• Peter Maass an investigative journalist who reported on the Unification Church's activities for The New Yorker and other publications.<ref>Moon at Twilight The New Yorker 14 September 1998.</ref>
• Walter Ralston Martin, leading Christian anti-cultist. Criticized Unification Church teachings in his best-selling book The Kingdom of the Cults.<ref name="Walter Ralston Martin 2003, pages 368-370">Walter Ralston Martin, Ravi K. Zacharias, The Kingdom of the Cults, Bethany House, 2003, Template:ISBN pages 368–370</ref>
• Robert Parry was an American investigative journalist:<ref name="NYT20180129">Template:Cite news</ref> "Over the past quarter century, South Korean theocrat Sun Myung Moon has been one of the Bush family’s major benefactors – both politically and financially."<ref>Robert Parry. The Moon-Bush Cash Conduit 2006-06-14.</ref>
• Sayuri Ogawa, former member turned anti-cult activist.<ref name="ytv 2022 1011"/>
• Eito Suzuki, anti-cult investigative journalist.<ref name="ytv 2022 1011">Template:Citation</ref>
• Tetsuya Yamagami, assassin who killed Shinzo Abe.<ref name="dw22">Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• Unification Church
• Unification Church of the United States