The Heavenly Unified Korea 2019 Hopeful March Forward Rally
Contributed by Dr. William Selig, Communications Director of UPF International.
From May 15 to 17, a group of about 50 high-level Northeast Asian specialists from the U.S., Japan, Europe and Russia met at the Lotte Hotel to discuss peace and security in Northeast Asia. During the deliberations, many Korean parliamentarians and scholars, including Mayor of Seoul, Hon. Park Won-soon, advocated for the Summer 2032 Olympics which will be jointly-hosted by Seoul, South Korea and Pyongyang, North Korea.
The Heavenly Unified Korea 2019 Hopeful March Forward rally was held on May 17 at the KINTEX Exhibition Center on the outskirts of Seoul, Korea, which began with a video presentation about the Citizens’ Federation for a Heavenly Unified Korea, followed by a pledge to support the bid for Seoul and Pyongyang to co-host the Summer 2032 Olympics.
Rev. Joo Jin-tae, Vice President of FFWPU-Korea, gave the opening address followed by a very delightful and inspiring set of Hyojeong speeches given by three second-generation Unificationist university students who were presented with Hyojeong Family Awards for recognizing their merits in family contributions, multiculturalism and volunteering.
Following this, True Mother gave the keynote address. She repeated the essence of her New Year’s prayer that “true unification of Korea can only take place from a position in which we attend God, our Heavenly Parent, the Creator and the owner of the universe, and in which we have received the Blessing of the True Parents.” True Mother said the reunification of the Koreas would serve as a blueprint for world peace. She declared her total dedication to heal the division and unite the people of Korea.
Three honorary guests delivered congratulatory messages:
Hon. Dan Burton, former U.S. Congressman, stated, “I have seen first-hand the profound commitment of Rev. and Dr. Moon to peace, freedom, human dignity and democratic values. Most of all, I have experienced the impact of their most essential contribution of strengthening marriage and family by inviting God’s blessing to be at the heart of the family…I want to express the respect and love I feel for Rev. and Dr. Moon for the inspiring work that they have done.”
Amb. R. James Woolsey, former CIA Director, emphasized how True Parents “are called by God in order to complete the work of building the world of peace and freedom.”
Hon. Kim Seon-dong, a member of the Korean National Assembly, expressed his hope for this Rally to “open an opportunity to gather everyone’s longing desires and wills to realize the community of peace, regardless of their background, whether conservative or progressive, whatever religions or denominations they come from” He continued, “With our united efforts, let us march forward toward the crusade of securing peace on this land of Korea, by taking this opportunity to transform the crisis of the Korean peninsula into a new world of hope.”
To close the event, over 1000 students performed and danced throughout the center in support of the joint Summer 2032 Olympics, followed by thousands of people singing “Tong-il” (“Song of Unity”) along with the Little Angels Children’s choir.
At the closing dinner that night, several participants thanked True Mother for her commitment to peace and reconciliation, while others expressed agreement and acknowledged the role of religious leaders as essential building blocks to true peacebuilding.