Exclusive List of Entities Closely Associated with Sun Myung Moon
Download this full document – updated 9/2021.
This is the latest revision of a list originally created in June 1981 by the Ex-Moon Organization. The list contains the names of companies owned, operated, and/or controlled by the Moon organization or Moon followers and has been compiled by us on the basis of information presently available to us. We are interested in obtaining additional information and making additions, revisions, and corrections as appropriate. If you have information you wish to bring to our attention, please do so by contacting us as set forth below. This list is for information purposes only so the public can make an informed decision as to whether they want to do business with companies closely associated with the Unification Movement or Sun Myung Moon followers.
In the early days of the Unification Movement Moon followers lived in centers and worked in a handful of businesses controlled by the Movement hierarchy. Businesses were started as a means to support the growing Movement and as a way to further Moon’s goals. Within the Movement, building businesses has been referred to as “building a material foundation.” As the Movement grew, the centers could not hold all the members and a shift took place as members began to move from the centers into the surrounding communities. Businesses operated by members employ the members and allow them to live outside the centers relieving the Movement of the burden of financially supporting members.
Operating businesses is an excellent way of supporting Moon’s goals. Not only do they relieve the Movement of providing for members, the members who control the businesses can make tax-free donations to nonprofits associated with the Movement instead of making a profit and paying taxes on the profit. Businesses closely associated with the Movement also give followers an opportunity to recruit new members without having an obvious connection to Moon. Businesses run by members support Sun Myung Moon’s goals in ways other than making cash donations. Member businesses buy products from other entities closely associated with Moon. Member businesses sponsor and support Moon-directed programs and raise money for Moon’s worldwide operations. While some entities closely associated with Moon attempt to hide their affiliation with the Movement, many Moon followers view the business, religious, and political organizations as one cohesive unit operating to unify the world under Moon and his organization’s influence.
Moon’s followers believe he is the “Messiah, Savior and Lord of the Second Advent with the responsibility to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.” In this position Moon demands absolute obedience:
First, all members are not to forget that they must obey absolutely all directions and commands of the True Parents, who are the only True Parents in the world for all perpetuity and eternity. This is the eternal tradition and faith of the Unification Church.
The idea that businesses associated with the Movement often act in concert to further Moon’s goals is not new. In 1977, congressional hearings examined Korean-American relations:
The UC and its numerous other religious and secular organizations headed by Sun Myung Moon constitute essentially one international organization. This organization depends heavily upon the interchangeability of its components and upon its ability to move personnel and financial assets freely across international boundaries and between businesses and nonprofit organizations. (p. 387, conclusion 1)
And…
Spokesmen for the Moon Organization have attempted to create the impression that, to the extent there is a relationship; the businesses contribute to the religious movement and not the reverse. However, the flow was in fact two ways. For example, when a commercial enterprise was beginning, funds were transferred to it from the UC directly or indirectly. After it began to prosper, it contributed to the religious or nonprofit side of the Moon Organization. The Moon Organization’s economic system provided substantial advantages to its various components. The religious side provided inexpensive and ready sources of labor; access to large amounts of untaxed liquid assets; and a wide-ranging, inexpensive marketing network. The commercial side provided additional funds, power, and influence. (Emphasis added) (p.372)
A report by the Internal Revenue Service in 1979 examined the agency’s handling of churches as exempt organizations and included information from the Fraser Committee Report:
A very important subject of the investigation was the operation of the Unification Church and other organizations controlled by Reverend Sun Myung Moon. The subcommittee’s 10/31/78 report, entitled Investigation of Korean-American Relations (U.S. Government Printing Office, Stock Number 052-070-04729-1), concluded that: “The Moon Organization used church and other tax-exempt components in support of its political and economic activities.” (p. 388, conclusion 12). The subcommittee also found that: “Although many of the goals and activities of the Moon Organization were legitimate and lawful, there was evidence that it had systematically violated U.S. tax, immigration, banking, currency, and Foreign Agents Registration Act laws, as well as state and local laws relating to charity fraud, and that these violations were related to the organization’s overall goals of gaining temporal power.” (p. 388, conclusion 13)
The economic advantages of controlling a bloc of consumers were also not missed by Moon. In a speech he instructed his followers to obey his orders so that the Movement could become economically powerful:
In the future don’t buy American products if Master says to buy from somewhere else. If you believe in what he says, you practice it; you will become the wealthiest people and the wealthiest nations, but not necessarily on earth. Buy from the company he designates in the future. It doesn’t matter if it is a small or large item. Soon that product will be the one manufactured by us. We have to buy that one. Then the world or universal economy will come to us.
A case study in how an entity closely associated with Moon tries to claim independence from the Movement can be found in The Washington Times. From paperboys to editors, employees of The Washington Times have steadfastly claimed that The Times is owned by a company whose owners just happen to be Moon followers and that Moon does not own the paper. It is true that Moon’s name does not appear on any corporate documents related to the companies that control and operate The Washington Times. But there is no disputing the fact that Moon founded and controlled the paper and its parent company.
Speaking to followers on June 12, 1991, at Irvington, New York, Total Calculation or Accounting of God’s Historical Providence – Sun Myung Moon, December 25, 1994, East Garden, Translator-Peter Kim, Moon said:
Father is not so deeply interested in The Washington Times. Father can withdraw at any time. All he has to do is to say, ‘Closed.’ Then Father does not have to spend tens of millions of dollars every month. Father can divert that money into Russia or anywhere else. Father is investing millions of dollars per month into the media. Do you know what millions of dollars can do in a country like Russia? In the last nine years, the Church poured eight hundred million dollars in cold cash into The Washington Times. 800 million. You have no idea how much money that is…
and
Remember that Father has poured one billion dollars into The Washington Times during the last fourteen years. This is a fact. All the government bureaus such as the CIA have a record of this… (Emphasis added)
In a New York speech, Western People Are Different from Eastern People, Sun Myung Moon, September 18, 2009, East Garden Moon said:
Who is the president of The Washington Times? Who is the original ancestor? When we first made the newspaper in America, who was the beginning point? It was me. If we talk about The Washington Times, we cannot say anything without Reverend Moon. You should not think that The Washington Times can move apart from Father. At any time, I can disband The Washington Times and make a similar newspaper in China or Russia. It’s not crucial to have it in America. I can create a greater cultural world somewhere else.
It is hard to understand how someone can pour one billion dollars into a business he does not own or have de facto control over. Comprehending how Moon can close a business he does not own is equally as hard.
Moon understood from the beginning that The Washington Times was not only a vehicle for power and influence but an intelligence-gathering tool as well:
With The Washington Times as the core, we are establishing preeminence in the American print media, a field of more than 1,750 American newspapers. By doing so we can include all fields of intelligence. Today we have in this area surpassed the liberal New York Times and Washington Post, and continually gaining important confidential information not only from America but also from other governments all over the world.
Moon believes he has enormous power and sway over the American people:
I influenced America through The Washington Times and so many different activities.
The story Moon’s followers spread for more than 20 years that The Washington Times was not controlled by Moon was finally revealed as a fabrication when a bitter fight for control of The Washington Times broke out between factions within the Movement. Lawyers for Moon explained to a federal court judge how Moon controlled The Washington Times through its parent company Unification Church International (UCI):
The Unification Church designates certain organizations as ‘providential organizations,’ which are organizations that advance the religious and spiritual ideals and principles of the Unification Church and that were founded by Reverend Moon as part of his wider ministry. The heads of these providential organizations are appointed by, and are subject to removal by, the International President of the Family Federation with approval of Reverend Moon. UCI is one such providential organization.
Richard Steinbronn a longtime Moon follower and attorney for Unification Church International, the ultimate parent company owning The Washington Times, finally told the truth about Moon’s control of the newspaper in legal documents filed in a District of Columbia court. Referring to Moon in court documents Steinbronn wrote:
From the late 1980s UCI’s founder had provided guidance and advice on the composition of the UCI board and UCI’s chief executive officer.
From the late 1980s through 2008, the UCI board and UCI president had treated such suggestions of UCI’s founder about UCI board membership as comparable to nominations from a UCI nominating committee.
Washington Times staff appearing in public would often make statements that disguise Moon’s true role in the paper and the true ownership of its parent company. A longtime Moon follower and Intelligence reporter for The Washington Times said:
The Times was founded by members of the Unification Church of Rev. Moon.…
Appearing on C-SPAN, Washington Times Executive Editor John Solomon told the audience:
We’re not directly owned by the church. The parent company is run by several church members, so that’s the connection people make.… First, we are not owned by the Reverend. We’re owned by a multi-faceted media corporation which has several of its officers who are Unification church members.…
What both Gertz and Solomon neglected to tell listeners is that Moon had in fact founded The Times parent company Unification Church International and hand-picked board members who were loyal to his direction and goals.
The truth exposing the falsehood — that The Washington Times parent company UCI was founded by people who just happened to be Unification Church members — came when Moon’s lawyers told a judge how UCI came to be:
27. In 1975, Reverend Sun Myung Moon directed Dr. Bo Hi Pak to open a bank account with Diplomat National Bank in the District of Columbia in the name of Unification Church International. The first $70,000 placed in this account came from an account held in Reverend Moon’s name. Other Unification Church entities, including the Japanese Church, also deposited funds into the Unification Church International account. Reverend Moon directed Dr. Bo Hi Pak to hold the funds in the Unification Church International bank account in trust solely for the benefit and support of the Unification Church and its related activities. The directions given by Reverend Moon and the actions undertaken by Dr. Pak demonstrate their intent to create a trust, provide property as the subject of that trust, and use that property for the charitable purposes of the Unification Church. Accordingly, Reverend Moon and Dr. Pak created the Unification Church International charitable trust, with Dr. Pak serving as the trust’s first trustee.
30. By 1977, approximately $7 million had been donated and were held in the Unification Church International bank account. In February 1977, at the direction of Reverend Sun Myung Moon, Dr. Bo Hi Pak established a District of Columbia nonprofit corporation to implement the purposes of the trust. Dr. Pak named this corporation Unification Church International and, at the direction of Reverend Moon, changed the Unification Church International account at the Diplomat National Bank to reflect that the funds in that account would be held by Unification Church International, the corporation, as opposed to Unification Church International, the unincorporated trust entity. Reverend Moon intended for the Corporation to implement the purposes of the trust and for the Directors of the Corporation to serve as trustees to ensure that the Corporation and its assets would be administered for the benefit of the Unification Church. The Directors understood and accepted this responsibility. Likewise, in establishing the Unification Church International nonprofit corporation, Dr. Pak understood that the Corporation was being established to implement the purposes of the trust.
On September 18, 2011 Moon’s longtime right-hand-man Bo Hi Pak told followers how the parent company of The Washington Times was created:
In 1977 I incorporated UCI according to the instructions of True Father and I served as the Founding Chairman of UCI. At the time True Father clearly explained the purpose of the founding of UCI when he said, I quote ‘within the next 3 1/2 years I will bring about the tremendous change in the hearts of American people throughout the divine through the divine principle. I will stand at the forefront of the world mission work. The world will yield before the Divine Principle like snow melting after a frigid winter. To achieve this we will need a large sum of money and many assets, UCI will be the place where we accumulate the funds and assets necessary for our world mission work’ unquote.
During the next 14 years father’s ministries spread like a wildfire to all corners of the world. The Washington Times, the flagship newspaper begun by True Father in 1982 became one of the three major newspapers in America within the first 2 years of publication. The Washington Times was a wake-up call, wake-up call to America that signals the dawn of a new age in America. Pres. Reagan in the White House started each day without a mistake by reading The Washington Times…
Moon followers understand that businesses closely associated with Moon share the common theme of supporting Moon’s goals. Here is an excerpt from an article about the Movement’s fishing operations in Alaska:
While the business isn’t owned by or even formally affiliated with the UC, they do have tight connections. Moon does the bulk of the decision making for both the church and the company. And members move back and forth. Rev. Cheol Ho Bang, now the pastor at the Kodiak church, worked for a few years in the company. And Jang Kim, an executive at the plant, was once a pastor. Cooper said the company is a way Moon found to make the church and its associated movements for world peace self-sufficient. The movement estimates that 90 percent of its resources go toward various activities they sponsor to promote social justice issues. As Kim puts it, although the church and the company are separate, ‘We actually go toward the same goal — to make a kind of ideal world.’ (Emphasis added)
From the Movement publication Today’s World, this short author bio reveals how within the Movement many members see the businesses as belonging to Sun Myung Moon and his wife:
Gary Abrahams and his wife Friedrun are the parents of 6 children and were Blessed at the 1975 Blessing at MSG. Gary is currently working for Shining Ocean, Inc., True Parents’ seafood company in Seattle and serves as the Tennessee state coordinator for ACC/AFC as well as volunteering his time as a member of the STF USA Parents Advisory Board. (Emphasis Added)
Speaking to members in 2011 Moon made it clear the businesses belong to him and the Unification Church. Upset over the rift taking place within the Movement as the children battle for control, notes taken during the speech indicate Moon’s displeasure with losing control of various business aspects of the Movement:
Without True Parents support, ISA (International Seafoods of Alaska) cannot survive. Did you come yesterday to welcome True Parents? Kwak Family and Hyun Jin should not be involved in any business. Even when this company was in trouble, I invested million dollars. This company belongs to True Parents, not somebody else. Without True Parents, there is no ISA. The company belongs to True Parents or somebody else? If you think it belongs to somebody else, you should leave Kodiak.
[…]
Every property belongs to True Parents and the Unification Church. […]
So, the Kwak family will go to jail because they are against True Parents and they are stealing money and property which belong to True Parents. Anybody in any country who is trying to steal True Parents’ belongings and property like the Kwak family will go to jail. They are not even afraid of secular law. If True Parents sue them, they will be in trouble. […]
True Parents is the Messiah, Savior, and Second Coming. How can you against True Parents’ will? No one even UN, America cannot stop True Parents’ will. […]
General Manager! Do you have all authority to pay money? No one can decide even small property sale without True Parents’ approval. All the lawyers even in different countries suggested Father sue them. Even many groups against True Parents who were trying to put Father in jail failed. If I sue, even the president and congress will be in trouble. […]
As an owner, Savior, and Messiah, True Parents can control all the earth and property. […]
Everything belongs to True Parents. Father just reminds you that this is not a new fact. Everything belongs to True Parents. […]
Three representatives can sit down. All the members call your children. ISA belongs to True Parents, the founder and all property belongs to Unification Church. Restaurant also belongs to True Parents and the church. Please cut off any relationship with UCI. Clearly know you belong to Unification Church, not ISA and UCI. If you are not clear about this, you will be very confused in the spirit world. (Emphasis Added)
Moon’s own son Kook Jin Moon, who has been tasked by his father to make the businesses in Korea profitable, described the philosophy behind the operation of businesses in Korea commonly referred to within the movement as the Unification Group:
The goal for our Unification Group, our total foundation business group, we made very simple. The goal is very simple — it’s to make money for the Unification Movement. It’s to increase the market value of the foundation’s companies and generate cash flow for the foundation activities. Our business group has no other purpose than this.
To Provide Additional Information, to Request Changes, Updates or Revisions:
This list contains names of companies and groups that may or may not be in existence today. We have marked organizations known to be defunct by the following symbol (#). We have marked those organizations known to be very active by this symbol (*). In the case of businesses, these have a tendency to change location or just cease doing business. Most of the organizations listed are still active. However, it is possible that some businesses may no longer be affiliated with the Unification Movement, particularly businesses created by people who were recruited into the Movement and later left. If a business or person is identified with the Movement in this list and the person controlling this business or this person is no longer associated with the Movement and has denounced Moon’s tenets and beliefs, please contact us and provide a copy of documentation supporting such a position.
To report additional information or to request changes, updates, or revisions, please contact us at changetolist@gmail.com. Please provide your full name and address and supporting documentation for any requests for changes, updates, or revisions.
This list may NOT be copied and posted on other web sites, but do please put up links, tweet and otherwise let people know. Thank you very much.
Download this full document – updated 9/2021.
Steve Hassan
The post Exclusive List of Entities Closely Associated with Sun Myung Moon appeared first on Freedom of Mind Resource Center.