Kook Jin Nim meets the rebels in Busan -- the meeting begins

November 12, 2011
Tongil Foundation

Kook Jin Nim meets with members of the 36-Couple Blessing earlier this year.

(This is the second in a series of notes on Kook Jin Nim's Nov. 10 meeting with six members of the Busan Unification Church board of elders who have decided to follow the Kwak group.)

Kook Jin Nim's meeting with a small group including six members of the Kwak rebellion in Busan began at 5 pm on Thursday, November 10, in a restaurant in Busan. Kook Jin Nim remained at the meeting until 8 pm, and members of his staff remained until 10 pm, when restaurant employees finally asked the entire group to leave.

Church headquarters and Tongil Foundation staff accompanying Kook Jin Nim understood that the meeting was being held because people who had been exposed by their former minister Jin Tae Choi to Kwak group propaganda for two years wanted to hear the positions of the leadership established by True Parents.

The meeting began with an explanation that headquarters expects True Parents to instruct that all Blessed Couples will need to receive the blessing at a new and higher level early next year. The understanding of Church headquarters is that True Parents will not allow members of the Kwak group to participate in this event. So the headquarters wanted to give every member ample opportunity to hear the facts and make their own decision on what path to take.

The first presentation covered improvements and growth of the Unification Church in Korea over the past few years. A second gave a briefing on the largely positive coverage in the media during recent years.

A third presentation began with a briefing on the situation involving the Yeouido land. But it was interrupted by one of the rebels. He was reminded that the format agreed before the meeting was that staff from the Church headquarters and Tongil Foundation would first lay out their positions and then answer questions. He was promised that the meeting would not end until he had had a chance to answer all his questions.

The presentation resumed and got as far as the beginning of True Father's statements in Kodiak. When the presenter said that Father asked those he met in Kodiak, "Who are you going to follow – me or Kwak?", one of the rebels jumped up from his seat and started shouting and waving a pamphlet he was holding in his hand.

"This pamphlet published by Church headquarters says Father said 'me or Hyun Jin'. Why are you lying?"

It didn't seem like a distinction worth such an emotional outburst. The presenter apologized, corrected himself, and tried to continue with his presentation. But the rebels were not willing to listen any further.

"I can't stand this anymore," one said. "I head hurts so much it feels like it's going to split."

"I didn't come here to listen, I came to speak," he said.

Others among the six also objected to having the presentations continue.

It seemed odd that they were unwilling to listen to content backed up with data and coming from the leadership established by True Parents. But the presenters decided to compromise and let the questions begin.

It quickly became clear, though, that the rebels did not want to ask questions. Their purpose was to make speeches insulting and attacking Kook Jin Nim.

One of the rebels began talking about how the whole situation was a conflict among brothers and it was shameful that members of the True Family couldn't get along. It was explained to him that it was, in fact, not a conflict among brothers. Instead, it was a conflict between Hyun Jin Nim and True Parents. All members of the True Family, with the exception of Hyun Jin Nim, are supporting True Parents.

The man who claimed a headache got up and began yelling and flailing his arms. It was the first time for me to witness a Unification Church member behaving so badly in the presence of a member of the True Family, and I found it extremely disturbing.

"You say your older brother should obey his father, but why aren't you, as the younger brother, obeying your older brother," he said. "You should follow your older brother." Apparently, to him this sounded like a reasonable argument.

Kook Jin Nim explained that he loved his older brother, but could not follow him on a course of betrayal against True Parents.

The rebels kept using the phrase, "conflict among brothers". Each time, Kook Jin Nim explained that it was, in fact, a conflict between Hyun Jin Nim and True Parents.

"But the media and the public see it as a conflict among brothers," the rebels insisted.

Well, Kook Jin Nim, that is because the Kwak group has created and distributed to all the media a press packet presenting the situation as a conflict among brothers. Presumably, this is their strategy to conceal the fact that it is, in fact, a situation where Hyun Jin Nim is in conflict with True Parents. The Kwak group has even hired a public relations firm to help spread their message.