Peace has been the most crucial issue of human existence from its inception. Beginning from the very first recorded murder, of Abel by his brother Cain - the children of Adam and Eve mentioned in the Book of Genesis - the history of war and bloodshed is nearly as old as the history of humankind. Right up to the present day, we continue to witness outbreaks of violence throughout our war-torn global village: just recently, the 11 September 2001 terrorist assaults striking at the heart of the United States of America, the unending spiral of attacks and reprisals between Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East, and the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, to name but a few.

The present number of countries in the world that are mired in conflict stands at eighty-three. The twentieth century, which we have now left behind us, could rightly be called the century of warfare. The two world wars, together with the Korean and Vietnam wars, as well as the Middle East and Gulf wars, alone expended incalculable resources causing untold damage and destruction of human life on an apocalyptic scale.

Yet, why should the discussion of peace be limited only to global conflict? Within a country, divisions also arise at racial, regional and factional levels. Weakened by corruption and the decline of ethics and morals, society is split by conflict between those of different social backgrounds. The family, which is the basic building block of society, is facing disintegration through immorality and divorce. Even as individuals, we see our spirit and body warring with each other and are left wondering how we are to be delivered out of such wretchedness.

Politics, religion, ideology and science have all been drawn upon in man's attempts to end all wars; instead, they have at times even aggravated the situation. Since commencing peacekeeping activities in 1948, the United Nations has claimed to be "holding the key to conflict" in fifty-three districts; yet it is greatly hampered in its role as mediator owing to lack of understanding on the part of the superpowers. Does this mean that a peaceful world is remote and beyond our reach?

The Reverend Sun Myung Moon has given a blueprint to the realization of a peaceful world. He presents his fundamental proposal for the realization of peace within the context of the individual, the family, the society, the nation and the world.

Stressing the need for religions, which deal with matters of the heart and spirit, to unite in order to substantiate the ideology of peace, Reverend Moon has initiated numerous activities related to harmony among the faiths. He also founded educational institutions, mass media associations and business enterprises as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in furtherance of the movement for peace. His conviction that world peace will be possible when the unification of Korea is accomplished has led him to totally dedicate himself to healing the division of the Korean Peninsula.

Reverend Moon has stated that Communism had to be completely wiped off the face of the earth before world peace could emerge. For this purpose, he launched the International Federation for Victory over Communism (IFVOC), which has spread its activities from Korea through Japan to the Americas and the rest of the world and covers both theory and practice in reaching out to the mass media and in providing public education. In 1985, at the height of the Cold War, Reverend Moon astonished eminent world leaders by prophesying the demise of communism, while presenting a counterproposal for overcoming it, an ideology that also transcends capitalism. With recent declarations of achieving world peace through eliminating national boundaries and reforming the United Nations, the movement for peace continues to break new ground.

Words, whether written or spoken, fail to adequately describe the thorny path soaked in countless drops of tears, sweat and blood shed by Reverend Moon in his life course. He has unreservedly invested all the resources at his disposal in creating substantial organizations all bearing the trademark "World Peace" - the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification International (FFWPUI), the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP), the Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP), and Youth Federation for World Peace (YFWP), and the Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA), to name but a few.

Peace is undeniably the highest value of our age. Reverend Moon teaches that peace becomes possible when we acknowledge the existence of other peoples, nations and cultures, that is, when we do not ostracize, but accept and embrace people who are different from us. Terrorism and international strife occur when we fail to recognize differences and manifest hostility against other parties. We are in urgent need of dialog between civilizations for mutual understanding. Further, he emphasizes that peace is established through a reciprocal relationship, and that restoring relationships is feasible only if we recognize that we exist for the sake of others.

This book, The Reunification of Korea and World Peace, is a compilation of extracts, pertaining specifically to issues related to the division of Korea into North and South, and the implications for the larger world. These are taken from a 350-volume anthology of Reverend Moon's speeches that has been compiled over the past forty-five years. He has devoted his life's work to teaching about God's relationship with humankind, the history of humankind in God's dispensation, and the spiritual world. In the context of this subject matter, the book presents Reverend Moon's philosophy of peace by shedding light on the true meaning of peace and how a peaceful world can be achieved. He furthermore explains his own efforts to develop a worldwide movement for peace. It is hoped that this volume will become a valuable inspiration for those concerned deeply with the realization of world peace. I sincerely pray for peace to be upon its readers and for the spirit of peace to overflow into their families, nations and the world.

In conclusion, I bow my head in high esteem for the Reverend Sun Myung Moon and his wife, Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon, the beloved True Parents of all mankind, who have ceaselessly endeavored for the realization of world peace decade after decade of their lives. I also wish to convey my heartfelt thanks to them. Let us pledge to nobly uphold the Will of Heaven and march forward for the sake of true peace.

Sun-jo Hwang
International President
Family Federation for World Peace and Unification
May 2002

This book is a compilation and translation of excerpts selected from the 350-volume anthology of speeches given by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Each excerpt is followed by a reference to where the speech can be found in the original Korean, and when it was given. The first hyphenated set of numbers refer to the volume and page number. This is followed by the date on which the words were spoken, written in the form year, month, date.

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