Interview of Dr. Wang Rok Chang during the Korean professors' tour of the United States

Victoria Clevenger
March 1988

Dr. W.R. Chang chats with Victoria Clevenger

Dr. Wang Rok Chang is a professor of English literature at Seoul National University. He studied at Harvard and is the president of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society of Korea.

Since the summer of 1987, six Korean professors' tours to the United States have been conducted, with about 150 professors participating each time. Nine hundred professors have toured so far, and it is expected that about 2,000 more will have taken part by the end of the year. Dr. Wang Rok Chang participated in the sixth tour.

Question: How did you get to be a part of this trip, and what are your impressions of this tour so far?

At my university back in Seoul, a woman from your church visited me in my office and explained that professors were being invited to go to the United States every month for a ten-day tour. Although I am not a member of any church, I was interested in going because, since I am a man of letters and a professor of literature, religion fills a very important place in my studies. Therefore, I was interested in the Unification Church. Also, I have three children here and wanted to take the opportunity to see them. And I wanted to have a chance to go to Boston and Salem and see Nathaniel Hawthorne's birthplace and meet a friend who is a professor at Harvard University.

I haven't had much opportunity to study your religion, but in Seoul I often went to meetings sponsored by the Unification Church, where I saw Rev. Moon personally. I liked his sermons; he's a passionate preacher.

I've learned a lot during this trip. I think Rev. Moon is a wonderful man; he's a superman, I'd say. This morning I was surprised to hear that he studied Swedenborg, the famous Christian mystic. Swedenborg's understanding is not as great as that of the Unification Church teachings; he is more philosophical than practical. But Rev. Moon is very practical; I was amazed to see the great things he has accomplished, such as The Washington Times and The World and I. I was also quite impressed with the Seminary and with Belvedere. Rev. Moon came to United States in 1971, and in such a short period of time -- only 16 years -- he has a huge foundation, not only in America, but all over the world. An ordinary man would not be able to accomplish this. I haven't heard of any man, form Korea or any other country, who has done so much. I feel if there is a God, He is with Rev. Moon. I think Rev. Moon is a miracle worker.

Because I myself am originally from North Korea and am a victim of communism, I am a devout anticommunist. I am in full sympathy with Rev. Moon's anticommunist ideas, as are many Koreans. Koreans even use a word in their vocabulary for anticommunism: seung gong, which means "win over communism." I can't forget my home, and how I was separated from my family. I completely agree with Rev. Moon that unless the United States, as the leader of the free world, is able to deal with the communists, then the whole world is going to be taken over by communism. Rev. Moon seems to be the only person with a burning desire to lead the anticommunist movement. We are extremely fortunate to have a leader as influential as he is. Who besides Rev. Moon is going to defend the free world from communism? There is no one in history who has done one-tenth as much as he has. He is a wonder of the 20th century. Because he is so concerned, Rev. Moon is educating the American people to live according to the ideals of the Founding Fathers and the Puritans.

Dr. Wang Rok Chang

Question: What impression of America have you gained from this trip?

At the Museum of Natural History, we saw a movie that showed how the early American pioneers crossed the Grand Canyon. There were fast streams flowing like torrents, and the pioneers in the boat were almost drowned many times. They were very tough people. Then the movie showed modern Americans riding down the river on inflatable rafts that cannot sink. They were doing it for fun. I concluded that modern man is not as tough as his ancestors. People have a tendency to just want to enjoy life and have fun when they become affluent.

I learned that in American schools, children are not allowed to pray in class and that if a teacher encourages this, I e can be sued! In Korea, at least in the schools that were founded by missionaries, prayer is taken for granted. Christianity originally came to Korea through missionaries mostly from your country, but in a way, Korea has become more Christian than your country. Many young Koreans go to church, but here, I see mostly old people in the churches. Americans are losing their faith and becoming materialistic, indulging in drugs, free sex, and violence; they are becoming corrupt people.

In America, you have the cable system for television. You can order one cable channel for sports, a second one for music, and another one f r violence and sex. Children get corrupted very easily, because they see adult movies. This does not happen in Korea. Of course, your country is free, but the very liberty that was provided by your constitution is being misused and is corrupting the society. There is no way to stop it, because your law is based on liberty. When you become corrupt, you can't feel pride in yourself, and you can't communicate with God. I feel you need some religious education to guide people to know what is good and what is evil.

Five Korean men on one bench.

Question: What do you think about the idea of a united Korea?

In our lecture this morning, we heard about Rev. Moon's idea to unify North and South Korea. Because South Korea is backed by the United States, and North Korea by the Soviet Union, I feel the reconciliation of Russia and the United States is necessary first in order for Korea to be free. North and South Koreans cannot unite by themselves because, although we are the same people, our ideals are so diametrically opposed to each other. I think it would be more difficult for South Korea to make unity with North Korea than it would be for it to make unity with another country such as China or Japan. Rev. Moon is working very hard so that the United States can win over the communist ideology and can defend itself from communist invasion.

If the United States loses the ideological war, then South Korea may face the same destiny. South Korea alone cannot defend herself against communism.

Unification can't be accomplished in a short time. If we can manage to educate the people behind the 38th parallel and can change the ideas of North Korea, then we have hope to unite, but I feel it's practically impossible. Unless the North Korean government can come to agree with South Korea on many points, it will be difficult to accomplish unity. Unfortunately, South Korea is divided internally. The opposition leaders are fighting against the government party and even fighting against each other, and this weakens the nation's strength. What North Koreans badly need is to see that communism and their society is not the only way of life. The people have been brainwashed from childhood and are totally ignorant about life in other countries. North Korea is a completely closed country; the people know nothing about the democratic world.

The North Korean government says it wants to co-sponsor the Olympic Games, but it's worried that if some of the events are held in North Korea, many foreigners will come into Pyongyang, and then the North Korean people will see the reality of the outside world. So the strategy of North Korea is to pretend that it wants to co-host the Olympics while not actually holding any events inside the country.

I don't think they can go on like this for many more years. Kim Il Sung's eldest son, who is bound to take over soon, is a real rascal. We hear many stories about him. He is like Nero; he has absolute power and he thinks he can do whatever he likes. He is the one who masterminded the blowing-up of the South Korean airliner and other terrorist acts. He has many affairs with women, and he's also a movie fan and collects movies from all over the world. It is said that when Kim Il Sung's son went to the Soviet Union for military training, he rejected the hard training and quit after one year. He is the spoiled heir of a rich, powerful family and he thinks his word is the law. He actually said, "I am the law." Because of him, thousands, even millions of people, are suffering. I know that East and West Germany at least have some communication with each other; relatives can visit each other for short periods of time. But I have never been back to North Korea. My relatives are there, but I have never even heard from them.

School girls in Seoul.

Question: Are students in Korea aware of the danger of communism?

University students are greatly influenced by Marxist thinking. Every day at my school there Are demonstrations.

They are outwardly anti-government or anti-American, but many of the organizers have been brainwashed by Marxists. It's very difficult to change their minds. They don't submit to any authority, and it has been tried in vain to convert them to democratic ideas. So we must educate them in such a way that they come to realize that communism is not what they think it is. The communist ideals may sound logical, but they ignore human nature and the fact that people have individual rights and abilities. How can a system of government work when people are treated like pawns in a chess game? These students don't have any experience of the communist world. I lived in a communist society, so I know how terrible it is, but they are still too idealistic to see the flaws in the communist ideology.

Question: What do the South Korean people feel about Rev. Moon?

A great many Koreans are Christian, and since Koreans tend to be conservative, many consider Rev. Moon's religion to be new and heretical and even dangerous to Christianity, because more and more people are paying attention to his ideas. I have not studied his ideas deeply, but from what I could understand from the lectures, his interpretation of Christianity seems to be very reasonable and correct and more scientific than that of the established religions. I see it is genuinely based on the Bible. Since I am not a churchgoer, I feel I can speak objectively about this. I like his originality. I am told that he is less formal than other Christians, but more devoted, and that he has a kind of mystical communication with God.

Our lecturer this morning said that Rev. Moon is the third Adam. It's a convincing argument, because when you see what he has done, it's miraculous. He truly embodies God's great ideal -- the unity of mankind. It's very difficult to convert Japanese people from Buddhism, but many thousands of Japanese are now following Rev. Moon; that proves his spiritual power. I believe he is going to change the whole world. He is a man of divinity, not an ordinary man. He has extraordinary imagination. I often wonder where his power comes from. I am not a religious man, but even I can see that this is a miracle, the divine intervention of God.

Question: How do you feel this trip will influence you when you return to Korea?

When people speak evil of Rev. Moon, I will correct them. People who criticize Rev. Moon do not think too deeply and are not well-informed. Even Jesus had to suffer because the people didn't understand him. Almost anyone can do a politician's job if they are given the position, but religious leaders, like Martin Luther, appeal to our souls and our minds. Who can imitate a deeply thinking religious leader? They leave a lasting impression. I think Rev. Moon is a genius. In the future, maybe he'll be more famous than any of our presidents.