In early 1980, Dr. Bo Hi Pak and other elders of the Unification Church were eagerly preparing to celebrate the 60th birthday of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. The 60th birthday has special significance in China and Korea, meaning that a person has completed the five 12-year cycles of the Oriental zodiac. The 60th birthday is thus considered the most significant birthday in an individual's lifetime. Dr. Bo Hi Pak, as a church elder and one of Reverend Moon's close assistants, was immersed in a multitude of detailed preparations for that celebration.

Unexpectedly, Reverend Moon summoned Dr. Pak and asked him to abandon all plans for the celebration and immediately go to Latin America. Reverend Moon had intuited the need for a new initiative to support Latin American governments which were increasingly under pressure because of the communist takeover of Nicaragua and the growth of communist insurrection in countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Peru. At that time, CAUSA International was born, and a new chapter of Dr. Pak's life opened.

Extraordinary marching orders and perilous adventure were not unusual for Bo Hi Pak. As president of CAUSA International, as a prominent newspaper publisher, as a friend and patron of the arts, and in his role as a chief assistant to Reverend Moon, he has repeatedly been challenged with Herculean tasks and responsibilities. A compelling orator in his native Korean, as well as in Japanese and English, he has traveled the world over and spoken before audiences of every race and nationality.

Interpreting the Chinese characters of Dr. Pak's name, Reverend Moon once explained that "Pak" has the meaning of "round," that "Bo" means "wide," and "Hi" has the general meaning of being "bright." Reverend Moon elaborated that the name Bo Hi Pak means that "Round Pak becomes bright and brings happiness to the world," adding that "his name indicates that he brings something good to Korea and America."

Indeed, Dr. Pak's name has proven to be prophetic. His long and distinguished career began in his native land of Korea and continued to blossom in the United States, his adopted country. He served as assistant military attaché to the Republic of Korea embassy in the United States and as President and Chairman of the Board of the Korean Cultural and Freedom Foundation. The latter organization includes the Little Angels of Korea, which has brought the unique culture and folk dances of Korea to many countries of the world. Little Angels' tours have included a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II and the British royal family, a benefit for UNICEF at the UN General Assembly in 1973, as well as performances for President Dwight David Eisenhower in 1965, President Richard Nixon in 1971, and Mrs. Raisa Gorbachev in 1990. Dr. Pak has also presided over numerous organizations dedicated to supporting freedom and balance in the press, including Radio of Free Asia and the World Media Association.

Those who have worked with him recognize that he has dedicated himself tirelessly to the development of each of the organizations cited in this book. Under the direct guidance of Reverend Moon, he played the key role in developing the CAUSA lecture materials and in shaping the content, format, and foci of CAUSA and the American Leadership Conference, organizations which played a frontline role in educating religious, civic, political, and military leaders throughout the world in the inherent contradictions and limitations of Marxist ideology.

Part of the intensity of Dr. Pak's lifelong commitment to freedom and democratic institutions stems from his own first-hand experience of the wanton destructiveness of communism. In June 1950 Bo Hi Pak entered the Korean Military Academy for four years of military training. Less than one month later, communist North Korea attacked the South, and the Academy's initiates were among the first troops committed to combat. Cadet Pak suddenly found himself in the midst of a war. Within three days, two-thirds of his classmates were dead, without ever having received a rank or a serial number. In 1951 after Communist China's Peoples Army entered the war, Dr. Pak and his troops suffered a surprise ambush at their hands and almost his entire company was wiped out.

After enduring many days without food, communications, or hope, American troops arrived on the scene, saving him and less than a handful of other survivors of the ambush. Dr. Pak literally embraced and kissed the tanks, expressing his gratitude to God and the American troops who had risked their lives to reach him. This began his undying devotion to the United States of America, a devotion which has been inseparable from his quest for freedom throughout the world.

Those who have had the honor to know and work with Bo Hi Pak have found that he is a person of amazing love, compassion, and empathy, endowed with a remarkable ability to forgive and to forget. Despite a lifetime of ardent opposition to communism, Dr. Pak acted deliberately to help foster a post-cold war era where former enemy nations could work together for world peace and development. This may help to explain why Rev. and Mrs. Moon chose him to help to organize their historic trip to communist North Korea in 1991, where they were warmly welcomed by the late President Kim IJ Sung and, together, called for forgiveness, reconciliation, and unity among all Koreans.

Many organizations founded by Rev. Moon grew out of CAUSA, and Dr. Pak played an instrumental role in their development.

CAUSA was founded in 1980 as an educational organization, committed to identifying the ideological fallacies of Marxism and offering a theocentric counterproposal based on Reverend Moon's teaching known as Godism. Among the organizations for which CAUSA served as a midwife are the Association for the Unity of Latin America (AULA) in 1984, the International Security Council (ISC) in 1984, the CAUSA International Military Association (CIMA) in 1985, and the Summit Council for World Peace in 1987. Dr. Pak also participated in the 1991 founding and creation of the Federation for World Peace and he continues to serve as its Co-Chairman. Dr. Pak also played a pivotal role in the creation of several daily newspapers founded by Rev. Moon, most importantly The Washington Times in 1982, Noticias del Mundo in New York in 1980, and Ultimas Noticias in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1981. He served as Chairman and President of News World Communications, President and Publisher of The Washington Times Corporation, and Chairman and President of The Segye Ilbo daily newspaper in Seoul.

Dr. Pak is the recipient of many honors and commendations from around the world. He has shared Reverend Moon's vision for peace with world leaders including Queen Elizabeth 11, His Holiness Pope John Paul II, the Dalai Lama; U.S. Presidents Reagan, Bush, Ford, and Nixon; Presidents Kim 11 Sung, Corazon Aquino, Violeta Chamorro, Napoleon Duarte, and Kenneth Kaunda.

Reverend Moon, together with Dr. Pak, was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Catholic University of La Plata in 1984 for numerous humanitarian contributions. Dr. Pak and his wife, Ki Sook Pak, have six children and 13 grandchildren. He remains an active crusader for world peace and unity in his native Korea, Japan, United States, and wherever else God and Reverend Moon may call him to serve. Wherever Dr. Pak travels, his words continue to inspire audiences, large and small alike, uplifting them with a vision of world peace, hope, prosperity, and genuine brotherhood and love.

 Download entire page and pages related to it in ZIP format
Table of Contents
Information
Tparents Home