Unification Church leader to visit North Korea

Posted on : 2012-09-08 12:27 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Condolence visit shows inconsistency in South Korean policies on trips to the North
 North Korea
North Korea

By Kim Kyu-won, staff reporter

The head of the Unification Church, Moon Hyung-jin and the President of Pyeonghwa Motors, the church’s auto company, Park Sang Kwon arrived in Pyongyang on September 7 to receive condolences on the death of church founder and leader Moon Sun-Myung from North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un. Moon passed away on Sept. 3.

Rev. Moon Hyung-jin and his entourage left for Pyongyang at 8:25 in the morning of Sept. 7 by car via the Dorasan Inter-Korea Transit Office; they were expected to arrive in Pyongyang at 11 am. A memorial altar was set up for the late Rev. Moon at the World Peace Center near Botong-kang Hotel in Pyongyang. The junior Moon and Park, will be receiving guests to express their condolences. They are expected to come back through the border office around 2 pm on September 8.

In a press release, the Unification Group explained that the visit by the new church leader and Pyeonghwa Motor’s President Park is related to receiving personal condolence visits by relatives in North Korea as well as leaders of the regime. More specifically, Rev. Moon is expected to meet with the new leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un, though this has not been confirmed. According to the press release, “the visit is to receive condolence visits by North Korean leaders, and it is anticipated that Rev. Moon will be meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.” Around 70 or so relatives of the late reverend, whose hometown was in Jungjoo in North Pyongan Province are also expected to visit the memorial altar.

In allowing the visit, the Unification Ministry has shown inconsistency in its handling of visitors to North Korea. The leaders of the Unification Group were given permission to drive through the Inter-Korea Transit Office this time. However, for a previous visit, after the death of Kim Jong-il, though they were given permission to visit the North, they had to make their visit a secret, citing that this was because the leaders of the Unification Church were not Korean nationals. Meantime, the families of the late president Roh Moo-hyun and the late Rev. Moon Ik-hwan, permission was denied. Both the late president Roh and Rev. Moon Ik-hwan had met the former North Korean leader.

Meanwhile, Unification Minister Ryu Woo-ik said before the National Assembly, “the government has communicated to the North Korean side the willingness to provide relief assistance for the drought and flooding damages they have suffered.”

“We are yet to hear back from the North Koreans,” he added. This is the first time that the South Korean government has offered assistance to the North this year. Unification Ministry spokesperson Kim Hyung-seok said, “We’ve communicated our intention to help through the Red Cross.” It’s been five days since then and North Korea has not yet responded, the spokesperson said.

 

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

 

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