Interdependence: A world where everything is shared

Equal Distribution of Technology and Economic Restoration

Science and technology are based on principles bestowed by God; therefore, they are the joint property of all humankind and should be shared so that everyone can benefit from them. Rev. Moon and Dr. Han criticized the practice of developed nations exploiting weaker nations through their advanced science and technology. They asserted that certain nations or companies should not monopolize science, technology and economic power, for these should be shared by the entire world. Rev. Moon and Dr. Han carried out a movement to encourage fair and balanced distribution of technology. For example, they purchased major machine factories in Germany, which was a leading nation in certain technologies, in order to share these technologies with less developed nations. Thus, they laid the foundation for the equal distribution of technology.

By stationing technical experts from Germany and Japan in the technological department of Tongil Heavy Industries Inc., they introduced advanced technologies into Korea. They arranged for one-third of the core technical experts at Tongil Industries Inc. to be transferred to other leading companies in Korea each year, thereby aiding the development of industries in Korea. These advanced technologies were then shared with developing countries in Africa, South America and Asia. They built factories and provided machinery to African countries with food shortage problems, and also passed on knowhow related to agriculture and stock farming. They also carried out the Panda Motors Project, building a large-scale car factory in China. It was their aim to develop science and technology in China, which at the time was lagging behind, to the level of advanced nations in order to promote world peace.

After technology in Korea had advanced to the point where Korea’s economic power surpassed that of North Korea, they endeavored to bring about technological parity between South and North Korea. In 1991 Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon had a meeting with North Korean President Kim Il-Sung. At that time, they promised to build a car factory in Nampo as requested by President Kim. Through the Peace Motors Project, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han passed on to North Korea the automotive technologies they had acquired. On this foundation, they were able to win North Korea’s trust, enabling their representatives to visit frequently and to cooperate on projects.

Rev. Moon and Dr. Han pursued the path of restoration based on their interest not only in science and technology, but in all created things. They founded Ilshin Stone Co. Ltd. to produce construction materials and develop mines, and they founded Ilsung Construction Co. Ltd. to invest in building up the environment for the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. In 1971, they established Ilhwa Co. Ltd. as their central company for economic restoration, making ginseng products. Rev. Moon and Dr. Han emphasized that Korean ginseng is not just for the Korean people, but for the whole world. Ginseng, which until that time was only used for medicinal purposes, was produced for the first time as a health supplement, both for domestic use and for export.

Over time, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han expanded their economic activities to many industries, including defense, precision machinery, automobiles, electronics and aviation, heavy chemicals, foods and pharmaceuticals, construction, shipbuilding, hotels and travel. Their purpose was to advance economic and technological equality throughout the world, as a component of a peaceful world.

Ocean Providence to Prepare for the Future of Humanity

Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon paid attention to the ocean as an important resource for the future of humanity, and fostered technologies for managing aquatic resources and ocean-related industries. Rev. Moon and Dr. Han’s ocean providence can be said to have started on the banks of Yamok-ri Pond in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where they personally taught and trained others in fishing. The ocean will be central to human life in the future; it is a treasure trove through which humanity’s food shortages and environmental problems can be resolved. Rev. Moon and Dr. Han carried out devotions on the ocean for many, many days, fishing day in, day out despite rain, wind and waves, with the determination to save fallen humanity.

The ocean providence was carried out in Korea, North America and South America. After the boat Cheon Seung Ho was launched at Incheon in 1963, the ocean providence in Korea developed centered on Jeju Island, Yeosu and Geomun Island. In the early 1970s, when fish breeding was unheard of in Korea, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han established fish farms in Jeju Island to lead the transition from ‘catching fish’ to ‘raising fish,’ and related industries. Moreover, they manufactured and distributed marine products produced in Korea and abroad, operated a marine transportation business and also began a shipbuilding business.

In the United States, the ocean providence was carried out centered on Gloucester, Alaska and Hawaii. Rev. Moon and Dr. Han took particular interest in tuna, because a female tuna lays three million eggs a year, and therefore tuna farming could be a revolutionary turning point in resolving humanity’s food shortages. Gloucester, in the northeast United States, was a famous tuna fishing spot, and Rev. Moon and Dr. Han offered devotions for a very long time there, going out to sea early in the morning in the boat New Hope, to catch tuna. In Alaska, they acquired International Seafoods of Alaska, Inc. (ISA), a marine products manufacturer. They opened seafood restaurants in all fifty states in America, and founded Ocean Peace to operate deep-sea fisheries. In addition, they established ocean churches in thirty places, which grew on the foundation of the marine industry and ocean tourism business, and they launched a marine products transportation business through International Ocean Enterprises (I.O.E.).

In South America, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han searched for ways to resolve food shortages by building fish farms and hosting exhibitions of ocean technology in Uruguay and Brazil. They developed the Leda project on the shores of the Paraguay River in the Pantanal.

Rev. Moon and Dr. Han intended to resolve humanity’s hunger problem by developing food resources from the ocean, which is a treasure house of resources. They developed a high-protein fish powder by processing krill shrimp from the South Pole, and distributed this new, nutritious food to developing nations.

Moreover, they sought to expand humanity’s access to the ocean through shipbuilding, ocean leisure businesses, and marine transportation. Through Master Marine Shipbuilding they built the unsinkable ship, One Hope, using a gypsum mold they had developed. In 2011, they launched Cheon Jeong Ho, a fiberglass boat built using the gypsum mold method. They founded the World Sports Fishing Federation and hosted fishing competitions regularly in Korea, North America, South America, Japan and other places. They opened Cheong Hae Garden and The Ocean Resort in Yeosu, developed Jeju Island and Gwangyang Bay area in Yeosu, and constructed the Ocean Cheon Jeong Gung Hotel in Geomun Island.

They also held workshops to train future leaders for the ocean providence. They constructed a training center and school in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, to play a central role in the Pacific Rim providence, and from 2004 they educated 5,500 members as ocean leaders (boat captains) through 68 workshops held at Cheong Hae Garden, Yeosu.

According to the concept of interdependence, humankind is supposed to jointly own all things based on God’s love. Before belonging to human beings, all things are the possessions of God, and horizontally they are the assets of all humanity. The world of interdependence, mutual prosperity and universal values is a world where God, humankind and all things live together in harmony. Rev. Moon and Dr. Han paid attention to the destruction of the Earth’s environment after the Second World War, and emphasized that we need to actively protect our future environment. They endeavored to devise a system for purifying polluted seawater, and through academic conferences they continued to expand the movement to restore the Earth to its original state as created by God. This is why the First Sunhak Peace Prize was awarded to leaders who worked to protect the ocean ecosystem and manage climate change, and who proposed and practiced ways of preventing a future food crisis.

International Relief Aid

Products like the high-protein fish powder, in which Rev. Moon and Dr. Han had invested for decades, were sent to developing countries in Africa and elsewhere through the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF). In addition, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han built New Hope Farms in the four countries of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina to translate into action their determination to eradicate the misery of hunger from the Earth. They also guided various religious denominations to cooperate in the work of producing food and supporting developing countries through agriculture and ocean industries.

Rev. Moon and Dr. Han founded IRFF to carry out relief aid activities with true love in local communities that had been devastated through poverty, disease, famine, natural disasters and war. Since its founding in 1975, IRFF has traveled through devastated regions around the world, providing relief aid including food, clothing and medical equipment, as well as building schools

In Korea, the International Medical Corps was launched in 1971; the Women’s Federation for World Peace in 1992, which later received consultative status at the United Nations; and Ae Won in 1994, to carry out relief aid. The International Medical Corps operated in Korea until 1983, with 520 medical professionals providing medical services to 21,000 patients per year. From 1984, it also toured Asian countries like Thailand and the Philippines, aiding tens of thousands of patients. Ae Won has won the Minister of Home Affairs Award for its active volunteer services; in 1998 it shifted its focus from providing material support to befriending mentally and spiritually alienated people.

Movement to Build an Ideal Community of One Global Family

Relief aid activities were expanded through the movement to build a community of humanity as one global family. Rev. Moon and Dr. Han worked in Central and South America to create model communities in which the principles of interdependence, mutual prosperity and universal values were practiced, and where people lived in harmony with nature. At the center of their endeavors were the New Hope Farms in Jardim and the Pantanal region in Brazil, and the Leda project in Paraguay.

Rev. Moon and Dr. Han strove to unite North America, representing Protestantism, with Central and South America, representing Catholicism, through the Confederation of Associations for the Unification of the Societies of the Americas (CAUSA) in 1980 and the Association for the Unity of Latin America (AULA) in 1983. While educating the leaders of 33 nations in Central and South America through these organizations, they also built banks, news agencies and educational facilities in Uruguay, and encouraged the four nations of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina to cooperate economically.

In 1994, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han visited Jardim in Brazil for the first time. In that barren environment, they continuously offered devotions through fishing. In that remote place, they built the New Hope Farm as the base for an ideal community where people would live in harmony with nature. It was the practice ground for constructing God’s nation. In 1998, they established the Headquarters for the Education of Ideal Families for World Peace and brought together Blessed families from around the world for educational programs. It was practice for an ideal way of life situated in untamed nature.

Pantanal means ‘swamp’ in Portuguese. As the name suggests, it is the largest fresh-water wetland in the world. It covers an area of several million hectares in Brazil, eastern Bolivia and northeastern Paraguay. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it consists of very peculiar and diverse ecosystems. However, from the perspective of development, it was the most remote of all remote places.

From 1999, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han developed the Puerto Leda farm in Chaco-Pantanal, South America, calling on Japanese missionaries to devote some time. Hundreds of native people lived in scattered villages on half an acre or so of barren land, without a road in sight. In Puerto Leda, which even the Paraguayan government had abandoned, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han bought about 660,000 hectares of land. They reclaimed wasteland to establish a farm, and set up a vocational center to teach local residents skills in carpentry, brick-making, metalwork and running farming machines, to improve their economic prospects. They also built an elementary school to teach and support local children. Considering that South America produces more than one-third of the Earth’s oxygen, they concentrated on planting trees. One key focus was an aquaculture project, including a fish farm to raise local fish called Pacu; another was a cattle-breeding project. The environmentally friendly development project carried out at Farm Leda was highly commended at the UN NGO Forum, and attracted others’ interest as well. Even the Korean Minister of the Environment made a personal visit. In this remote area, abandoned even by the government, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han brought so much change through the efforts of people working together with nature.

In Korea, starting in the 1960s, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han began the work of building the Garden of Eden, a place where the original ideal of God would live and breathe. After purchasing a huge area of land near Cheongpyeong Lake, they put up a tent, planted trees and offered devotions through fishing. Rev. Sun Myung Moon personally dug the ground with a pick and supervised the construction, saying, “This place will become the homeland of the world and the hometown of the heart for all humankind.” As of now, in 2020, this entire area of Cheongpyeong has taken root as the homeland of heart, with more than forty facilities including the Cheon Jeong Gung, HJ Heaven and Earth CheonBo Training Center, Cheongshim Village, HJ Magnolia International Hospital, Cheongshim Kindergarten, Sunhak Korean Language School, Cheongshim International Academy, Sunhak Universal Peace Graduate University, Sunhak Institute of History, HyoJeong International Cultural Foundation, Cheongshim Peace World Center and HJ Sunsu Won. As envisioned in the 1960s, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han have built the one tourist spot that all people of the world can revere and be proud of, the headquarters where young people from around the world can come to attend workshops, and the educational center that teaches how to build a personal relationship with God.

Now, the HyoJeong CheonWon Project is in its final stage. Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon has said it will be the substantial place where the model of Cheon Il Guk will be realized, with God’s sovereignty firmly established, with citizens and territory intact, where everyone can lead ideal lives as they were originally created to do.

True Family Movement

The fundamental principle of interdependence is founded on the ideal of true family. Rev. Moon and Dr. Han have taught true family values and initiated various activities to encourage their practice. They founded the magazine Blessing and True Family, hosted seminars on true family ethics for clergymen and the general public, sponsored leaders’ conferences on Practicing True Family Values, and held Rallies to Promote True Family Values in major Korean cities and 35 nations around the world. They also hosted Global Family Festivals and Camps to provide opportunities to learn about the ideal of true family and to practice it.

They also carried out the Pure Love Movement, which is the basis of the true family movement. They created and supplied textbooks and teaching materials about pure love, and held workshops and pledge ceremonies in over 800 middle and high schools in Korea. These activities were followed by pure love resolution ceremonies and cultural festivals, and pure love marches and campaigns. In 1995, they launched the Pure Love Alliance (PLA) in the United States, through which young people from various religious denominations carried out activities in support of the true family worldview, pledging to keep themselves pure before marriage and to be faithful to their spouses after marriage.

This true family movement has its root in the Marriage Blessing begun through the Holy Wedding of Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. The Marriage Blessing is a sacred ceremony in which a couple resolves to form a true family that realizes God’s ideal of true love, true life and true lineage. Through this process, human beings and families are nurtured to prefect their love, and thus fallen humankind is gradually restored to God. Such families form the foundation of the world of interdependence, mutual prosperity and universal values.

Starting with the Marriage Blessing Ceremony of three couples on April 16, 1960, Rev. Moon and Dr. Han continued to perform Marriage Blessing Ceremonies—of 36 couples, 72 couples, 124 couples, 430 couples, 777 couples, 1,800 couples, 2,075 couples, 6,000 couples, 6,500 couples, 30,000 couples, 360,000 couples and 40 million couples. In 2016, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon bestowed the name HyoJeong Cosmic Blessing Ceremony, and from 2017 on, the Blessing ceremony was held on the anniversary of Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s Holy Ascension, making it a festival through which heaven and earth are united as one.