Wonmo Pyeongae Foundation Awards $10 Million in Scholarships

In honor of the first anniversary of Foundation Day, 1,455 talented students were awarded $10 million in scholarships by the Wonmo Pyongae (Eternal Parent’s Love) Foundation, a non-profit organization established on behalf of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, in a special ceremony on February 9, 2014.

This year’s scholarships went to 400 Korean and 1,055 foreign students who are committed to realizing the ideals of Cheon Il Guk. The foreign students, who have come to Korea, will learn Korean culture and have the opportunity to develop their talent at Sun Moon University, located in Asan.

Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, co-founder of FFWPU, gave out the awards and addressed the guests, “Each individual’s practices are important. You, as the owner of history, should have the ownership and heart of parents. We will develop the Wonmo Pyeongae Foundation so that all humankind can receive its benefits.”

In the past, the scholarships had only been available to high-school and undergraduate students. This year however, the Foundation expanded the scholarship eligibility to include middle-school and graduate students. Every year the Wonmo Pyeongae Foundation selects 40 talented youth for the graduate school and supports their tuition and living expenses.

Mr. Min-ha Kim, chief director of the Wonmo Pyeongae, said in his greeting, “We will follow Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, who have led the international peace movement; we will establish the international level of the Sunhak Peace Award by together commemorating business, scholarship and social service to overcome the conflicts between nation and society and contribute toward peace and unification in Korea.”

Along with the academic scholarships, awards were given to five individuals for their 10 years of service work within their local communities, and to five organizations for their service work in multicultural family education, helping the underprivileged, and cleaning the local environment.

The event brought together scholars, activists and community leaders. Ms. Eul-dong Kim, a member of the National Assembly of Korea, gave a congratulatory message, saying, “I’m certain that the Wonmo Pyeongae Foundation will become the hope not only of the Tongil Group but also of Korea and the world.”

During the event, 30 Wonmo scholarship awardees and 40 global scholarship awardees performed a congratulatory song, and the foreign students, who had been studying Korean for only two months, wrote and read thank-you letters to Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon.

Mr. Dae-bong Kang, a participant and former president of the National Confucian Scholars Association, remarked of the event, “I’m so happy, as one of the Confucian scholars, that Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon are doing such a great work. It’s even better that they are doing it not only for Korea but to cultivate all the people of the world. This was a great and significant event, because it found the root for the peace movement in the world.”