Dr. Pak's leadership of the Little Angels dancing and singing troupe may not deal with questions of international policy, but it may have done more than anything else to touch people's hearts with its pure and innocent expression of the universal language of art. Through music and dance, the Little Angels have touched hearts throughout the world in performances before queens, statesmen, and common people alike. In the following speech, Dr. Pak explains the origins of the Little Angels, its notable successes worldwide, and the school in Seoul that has grown out of the troupe. The following introductory remarks by Dr. Pak were made at the closing banquet of the World Media Association at the Little Angels Performing Arts Center in Seoul, Korea, on September 23, 1987.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am speaking to you tonight not as president of the World Media Association but as chairman of the Little Angels School Foundation. Tonight you are here at the Little Angels Performing Arts Center as guests of Reverend and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon. In a few moments you will be entertained by the lovely Korean Little Angels. Reverend and Mrs. Moon greatly enjoy entertaining their important guests here for good reason, which you will know shortly. But before that, let me take a few moments to explain what the Little Angels are.

The Little Angels originated out of the vision of Reverend Moon. A Korean young people's dancing and singing troupe made up of children aged 7 to 15, they are a world-renowned performing arts group. When they performed for the first time in New York City in 1965, on their first American tour, The New York Times described the Little Angels as "a phenomenal company." Since then, and for the last 22 years, they have visited 70 countries on six continents, giving more than 3,000 live performances and making over 300 television appearances.

In 1971 they gave a royal command performance in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen of England. The delighted Queen invited the Little Angels to a royal reception afterwards, an event unprecedented in British protocol. They have performed for the heads of state of more than 30 countries, including the president of the United States. They have entertained in the United Nations Assembly Hall for the benefit of the United Nations Children's Fund.

J. Joynton-Smith, a prominent Australian who sponsored the Little Angels tour of his country in 1972, wrote a most heartwarming letter to Reverend Moon following their departure. He said, "I can think of no better way of trying to promote peace and goodwill among nations than to have the Little Angels taking their message to the four corners of our globe."

On the foundation of the success and fame of the Little Angels, Reverend Moon expanded this program into the Little Angels Arts School, an arts educational institution. This building is a part of the Little Angels School campus. Three other schools comprise this campus: an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. They each provide a complete, well-rounded education in all academic subjects, with emphasis on music, dance, and fine arts. At present there are 3,600 students enrolled in the three schools.

Reverend Moon provided the founding inspiration for this institution, which is based on his philosophy of education. He believes that one's inner moral character determines the quality of one's artistic expression, and that one's inner character must be founded on true love and the spirit of service. For this reason he gave the school a three-love principle: first, love God; second, love mankind; and third, love your country.

The school's educational credo derives from this principle. It stresses honesty, purity, kindness, and service to others as a way of life. This is basically a Christian school, yet we do not discriminate on the basis of religion; students are admitted on the basis of merit alone. Less than 5 percent of the school's enrollment at present comes from the membership of the Unification Church; 95 percent comes from all other religions, including Buddhism and Confucianism. However, Reverend Moon believes very deeply in the importance of teaching moral principles to everyone.

Honesty, purity, kindness, and service form the basis of a wholesome human character. Reverend Moon stresses that honesty forms the bedrock foundation of human relationships. In terms of purity we teach our students to be family-oriented and preserve their purity for their husband or wife. Drug problems do not exist at the school. Students learn to he kind to each other, and we consider altruistic service to be the highest virtue.

Our school is the most popular and sought-after school in Korea. We can accept only one out of every seven applicants. Parents are ecstatic when their children are accepted here. Sometimes the whole town celebrates. This institution has achieved international acclaim, and we already receive students from 12 different countries. We intend soon to institute what I want to call Sun Myung Moon University with the same vision and goal. The children performing tonight range in age from 8 to 15 and are selected from elementary and middle schools.

One thing certainly rings true: The Little Angels are always little angels. They are always angelic and they are always little. We grow older but they stay young. When they first performed in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in honor of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, this distinguished gentleman, beaming from ear to ear, commented after the performance, "The angels of heaven will have a hard time keeping up with these Korean Little Angels." Ever since then, this company has given stiff competition to the angels of heaven. Without any further comment, please enjoy the Little Angels.

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