Second Anniversary of Hyo Jin Moon’s Ascension, March 17, 2010

Today, March 17, 2010, is the second anniversary of the ascension of Hyo Jin Moon, True Parents’ eldest son. The following memorial essay includes his biography, testimonies from close companions, and one of 10,000 passionate songs he wrote during his lifetime.

Biography

Hyo Jin (Steve) Moon was born on December 3, 1962 (according to the lunar calendar), in Korea as the first son and second child of True Parents. He passed away due to a heart attack on March 17, 2008, in his birth country of Korea.

Hyo Jin nim served as president of the World Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (World CARP) from June 18, 1984 to May 22, 1994. A defining moment of his presidency was the Fourth World CARP Convention in Berlin in August 1987. As hundreds of outraged leftist students screamed, shouted, and threw objects and paint bombs, 1,000 World CARP members gathered near the Berlin Wall’s Checkpoint Charlie, where Hyo Jin nim delivered a stirring speech, invoking the words of U.S. President Ronald Reagan: “Come on, Mr. Gorbachev,” he said, “be the righteous man you claim to be and tear down this wall!” In 1994, Hyo Jin nim toured campuses across the United States to deliver the speech “True Parents and the Completed Testament Age.”

In 2006, Hyo Jin nim accompanied True Mother on a Universal Peace Federation world tour, delivering the speech “God’s Ideal Family and the Kingdom of the Peaceful, Ideal World.” He graduated from the Unification Theological Seminary with a master’s degree in religious studies in 2003 and was one of the first to belong to the Founder’s Society, a group of alumni dedicated to funding the seminary. He also received an honorary doctorate in theology from Sun Moon University in Korea in February 2005.

Hyo Jin nim was an inspirational songwriter, musician, performer and producer. As a vocalist and lead guitarist, he produced more than a dozen CDs and created a catalog of more than 10,000 songs of his own composition. Most of his CDs were published between the years 1988-1994. Though he continued writing songs, his last CD was published in 1997. Some of his unpublished songs were played at concerts, which he held frequently up until the year before his passing. He was never able to perform at his final concert scheduled for the spring of 2008.

While writing and recording music, Hyo Jin nim also served as president and chairman of the board of the Manhattan Center Studios, a state-of-the-art multimedia facility in New York City. His vision and leadership created outstanding professional standards at the Manhattan Center Studios, which has hosted many well-known professional musicians and televised events.

More information about the life of Hyo Jin Moon can be found in the memorial e-book below, “In Loving Memory of Hyo Jin Nim.”

Memorial e-Book of Hyo Jin Moon