Chapter 2 The Unification Movement in Korea

1970 - The Victorious Unified Front

Reverend Moon explained (at a regional leaders meeting on December 3, 1969) that the l960s was a period when the Unification Church, while going the miserable way of painful indemnity under persecution on the family or national level, created a new image for itself; furthermore, that, by consolidating the national foundation, the 1970s would be the time for the establishment of a religious organization that the world community would officially recognize. Thereafter, the demands of the providence and the objective of the mission work would be of a different dimension.

Reverend Moon gave the motto The Victorious Unified Front and illustrated three general principles to be practiced. They were the declaration of the word, the restoration of subjectivity, and the restoration of spiritual children. From this time on in particular, the churches devoted their efforts to witnessing to and raising up new members.

The blessed wives were mobilized for a forty-day witnessing condition during wintertime, signaling the beginning of a three-year witnessing period. One hundred twenty teams of blessed wives, consisting of 1,200 members, were mobilized on December 1.

If the 1960s was the era of witnessing through individual mobilization, then the 1970s was the time for witnessing through blessed families. They embarked on a substantial course to love their nation and people, and to love God's will and Heaven.

On January 21, the First Asian VOC Rally, sponsored by the International Federation for Victory Over Communism (IFVOC), was held at the Citizens Center, attended by representatives from five nation and six thousand citizens. This event was the first rally of this kind and on this scale since the inception of IFVOC in 1968.

Moreover, the Unification Church in Korea sought to educate, and enter into mutual cooperation with, Japanese members, through exchanges between the two nations, such as a Korean-Japanese leaders conference (held on January 23). The program included training for seventy-eight visiting Japanese members (on Jaunty 23), a symposium for Korean and Japanese college students on the theme, "The Problem of Communism," and the education of Japanese candidates for the 777-couple Blessing.

As a result of their work to counter communism, Unification Church lecturers were entrusted with the task of educating people throughout the provinces in anti-Communist ideology. They personally took responsibility to present the lectures. The program intensified when construction of the main auditorium at the Central Training Center was completed on April 16.

As numerous people who attended the program were deeply inspired by the VOC lectures, the golden age of the VOC work - when both the educator and those being educated were full of energy-continued, and third gave the anti-Communist campaign its special character in the early 1970s. Many lecturers, whose results in the citizens VOC education were excellent, received letters of commendation from  the Minister of Home Affairs.

New directors of the Student Department and of the Central Training Center were assigned on February l6, and on June l0 a reshuffling of regional directors was carried out to enhance VOC activity.

Soon afterwards, on July 27, Reverend Hyo-won Eu, president of the Korean church, passed away at the age of 57. His funeral was solemnized by the church  on July 28.

Reverend Youngl-whi Kim was inaugurated as the new president on August 1, and some departmental directors were assigned new posts.

The Holy Wedding displayed the characteristic of an international event. From the perspective of the Principle, and in terms of its size, the Blessing of 790 couples from ten nations, including Korea, celebrated at the Changchoong Indoor Gymnasium on October 21, was a Blessing on the world level.

One outstanding feature of this year was the first Christian Youth Leadership Seminar, held from November 26. This event provided the opportunity to declare the Principle to Christian ministers and from that time on public presentations of the Principle, sponsored either by the church or by the Supra denominational Christian Association, were held regularly.

This year also saw the preparation of funds for the purchase of some land in Yoido, Seoul, on which to build a World Mission Headquarters.

The noteworthy characteristic of this year that opened the 1970s was that each activity and event was organized on a grand scale, and church members shed their blood and sweat in sacrificial response to the urgent needs of the providence. The members' sincere efforts became the basic foundation for Reverend Moon to devote all of his energy to the front line of world missions.

Notable events this year included:

January 17: Second Korean-Japanese hunting contest.

February 11: Reverend Moon's fiftieth birthday.

February 14: Publication of IFVOC magazine began.

May 1-10: Special prayer meeting.

September 20: World Anti-Communist League rally (WACL.)

October 28: Theological open forum under the theme Modern. Theology and New     Religions held at Seoul National University on "The Unification Principle and the Full     Gospel Church movement."

November 10: Grand Revival meetings at the district Headquarters Churches in Seoul and     at provincial government headquarters (for seven days.)

December 20: Publication of the Tongil Segye monthly began.