Hak Ja Han
Encyclopedia
Hak Ja Han or Hakja Han Moon (born January 6, 1943 in Korea
) is an influential member of the Unification Church
and the wife of the church's founder, Sun Myung Moon
. They married in April 1960 and have 13 children and 20 grandchildren. They are viewed by Unification Church members as the "new messiahs," and are referred to as the "True Parents"; she is called the "True Mother" and regarded as the "perfect woman".
In 1992 she established the Unification Church affiliated-organization Women's Federation for World Peace
, and traveled the world speaking on its behalf. Han's influence within the Unification Church has steadily increased. She is Moon's designated successor as the leader of the Unification Movement. In the American media Han is sometimes referred to as "Mrs. Moon"; although in Korean culture
a married woman keeps her original family name, with the children taking their father's.
, was born on January 6, 1943. Han attended an all-girls high school in Korea but did not go on to college. She speaks Japanese and English as well as Korean, although she speaks English with a Korean accent. In April 1960 at the age of 17, Han, by then a member of the Unification Church (which was officially founded in 1954), married Moon who was then 40 years old.
Han has 13 children, and as of 1993 had 20 grandchildren.
On July 19, 2008, Han along with her husband and 14 others, including several of their children and grandchildren, were slightly injured when a church owned Sikorsky S-92
helicopter crashed during an emergency landing and burst into flames in Gapyeong. Han and all 15 others were treated at the nearby church-affiliated Cheongshim Hospital.
Experts from the United States National Transportation Safety Board
, the United States Federal Aviation Administration
, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, and General Electric
assisted the South Korean government in its investigation of the crash.
Han and Moon are together believed to be the "new messiahs" by Unification Church members. Within Unification Church
theology, the Moons are regarded as the "True Parents" of humanity and are addressed by its followers as the "True Father" and "True Mother". Church members have also referred to Han as "the Bride of Christ", and the "perfect woman". She is seen within the movement as the "Mother of humankind, the final chosen of God". Han and Moon are also seen as the "exemplars of the God-centered existence" by Unification Church members. In Unification Church services members bow down to Han and Moon when they are present and to pictures of them when they are not.
In 1962, Moon and Han founded the Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea, a girls Korean folk ballet company meant to promote a positive perception of South Korea
. In 1984, Han spoke at a Unification Church sponsored academic conference in Washington, D.C.
to a crowd of 240 which included professors from Harvard, Princeton
, Stanford, University of Michigan
and the Sorbonne
in Paris
.
In 1993 U.S. Senator Trent Lott
supported the bill "True Parents Day" in the U.S. Senate and in 1995 U.S. President Bill Clinton
signed a bill into law called "Parents Day"; children are to honor their parents on this day. This showed the relationship of the Unification Church to the Republican Party in the United States, according to news media. In 1993, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch
introduced Han to a crowd at Capitol Hill; she stated at the event that she and Moon are "the first True Parents". Moon was in the audience watching her speech, along with members of the United States Senate
and United States House of Representatives
.
. During the ceremony Han and Moon sprinkled holy water
on the couples.
with the support of the Unification Church, and traveled the world speaking at conventions on its behalf. The Women's Federation's purpose is to encourage women to work more actively in promoting peace in their communities and greater society, and it includes 143 member countries. According to the Unification News, Han organized a Unification Church conference held in Tokyo in 1993, which was the first anniversary of the Women's Federation for World Peace. The keynote speaker was former Vice President of the United States
Dan Quayle
's wife Marilyn Tucker Quayle, and in a speech at the event Han spoke positively of Mrs. Quayle's humanitarian work.
In 1993 Han traveled to 20 cities in the United States promoting Women's Federation for World Peace, as well as to 12 countries. At a stop in Salt Lake City, Utah
she told attendants: "If a family is not centered on God's ideal of love, there will be conflict among the members of that family. Without God's love as an absolute center, such a family will ultimately break down. A nation of such families will also decline." Her 1993 speeches in the United States focused on increasing violence in the U.S., and the degradation of the family unit.
In 1995 Han spoke at a Women's Federation for World Peace event in Japan
along with former United States president George H. W. Bush
. Han spoke after Bush's speech and praised Moon, crediting him for the decline of communism and saying that he must save America from "the destruction of the family and moral decay."
, Japan
, Italy
, and 16 other countries in South America
and Central America
. In July 1996 she spoke at the Family Federation for World Peace's Inaugural World Convention at the National Building Museum
in Washington, D.C.
. Han's closing address was the climax of the proceedings, and was called the "Founder's Address".
. Over 12 United States lawmakers were in attendance at the event. The event was criticized as a violation of the principle of separation of church and state
in the United States.
on behalf of the Unification Church sponsored Universal Peace Federation and called for traditional families, religious and cross-cultural tolerance, and a $315 billion "peace tunnel" across the Bering Strait
connecting Russia and the United States.
of the Center for Studies on New Religions writes in The Unification Church (2000): "The issue of succession is now of fundamental importance. The Reverend Moon will be eighty years old (by Korean age calculations, he turned eighty in 1999) in 2000. Mrs. Moon is fifty-seven years old. Since 1992 she has taken a more visible role, particularly in three world speaking tours in 1992, 1993, and 1999. Mrs. Moon has also spoken on Capitol Hill, at the United Nations, and in other parliaments around the world. Her relative youth and the respect with which she is held by the membership may be a point of stability for the Unification movement." George D. Chryssides
writes in Exploring New Religions (2001) that Han's importance with the church continues to grow. Chryssides predicted that she would lead the Unification Church and preside over blessing ceremonies after Moon's death, since she would then be "the remaining True Parent."
In 2003 over 8,000 Unification Church members attended a ceremony in South Korea in which Han and Moon were remarried. This was said to be the fulfillment of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb written about in the Apocalypse of John. Authors James R. Lewis and Jesper Aagaard Petersen write in Controversial New Religions (2005) that she "has exercised increasing influence in the Unification Church". In 2009 author Jacob Neusner reported that church members believed that Han would continue to lead them after Moon's death since she is considered to jointly be the Messiah, together with him. In 2010 National Public Radio reported that Unification Church services in the United States invoked the name of Han along with Moon in their opening greetings to congregants. In that same year, Forbes
reported that Han was living in South Korea with her husband while their children took more responsibility for the day-to-day leadership of the Unification Church and its affiliated organizations.
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
) is an influential member of the Unification Church
Unification Church
The Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea, as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity . In 1994, Moon gave the church...
and the wife of the church's founder, Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects...
. They married in April 1960 and have 13 children and 20 grandchildren. They are viewed by Unification Church members as the "new messiahs," and are referred to as the "True Parents"; she is called the "True Mother" and regarded as the "perfect woman".
In 1992 she established the Unification Church affiliated-organization Women's Federation for World Peace
Women's Federation for World Peace
The Women's Federation for World Peace is an organization whose stated purpose is to encourage women to work more actively in promoting peace in their communities and greater society. It was founded in 1992 by Hak Ja Han, the wife of Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and is supported by...
, and traveled the world speaking on its behalf. Han's influence within the Unification Church has steadily increased. She is Moon's designated successor as the leader of the Unification Movement. In the American media Han is sometimes referred to as "Mrs. Moon"; although in Korean culture
Culture of Korea
The current political separation of North and South Korea has resulted in divergence in modern Korean cultures; nevertheless, the traditional culture of Korea is historically shared by both states.-Dance:...
a married woman keeps her original family name, with the children taking their father's.
Early life and family
Han, the daughter of a Korean woman who later became a follower of Sun Myung MoonSun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects...
, was born on January 6, 1943. Han attended an all-girls high school in Korea but did not go on to college. She speaks Japanese and English as well as Korean, although she speaks English with a Korean accent. In April 1960 at the age of 17, Han, by then a member of the Unification Church (which was officially founded in 1954), married Moon who was then 40 years old.
Han has 13 children, and as of 1993 had 20 grandchildren.
On July 19, 2008, Han along with her husband and 14 others, including several of their children and grandchildren, were slightly injured when a church owned Sikorsky S-92
Sikorsky S-92
The Sikorsky S-92 is a four-bladed twin-engine medium-lift helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft for the civil and military helicopter market. The S-92 was developed from the Sikorsky S-70 helicopter and has similar parts such as flight control and rotor systems.The H-92 Superhawk is a military...
helicopter crashed during an emergency landing and burst into flames in Gapyeong. Han and all 15 others were treated at the nearby church-affiliated Cheongshim Hospital.
Experts from the United States National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
, the United States Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, and General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
assisted the South Korean government in its investigation of the crash.
Role in the Unification Church
Unification Church members believe that Han and Moon's wedding established a "holy marriage" which Jesus had failed to establish. They also consider it established a holiday called "True Parents' Day," as well as what Unification Church members refer to as the "True Family". It is also believed by them to be the beginning of a new "Completed Testament Age," and to have fulfilled the prophesied Marriage of the Lamb in the Revelation of John.Han and Moon are together believed to be the "new messiahs" by Unification Church members. Within Unification Church
Unification Church
The Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea, as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity . In 1994, Moon gave the church...
theology, the Moons are regarded as the "True Parents" of humanity and are addressed by its followers as the "True Father" and "True Mother". Church members have also referred to Han as "the Bride of Christ", and the "perfect woman". She is seen within the movement as the "Mother of humankind, the final chosen of God". Han and Moon are also seen as the "exemplars of the God-centered existence" by Unification Church members. In Unification Church services members bow down to Han and Moon when they are present and to pictures of them when they are not.
In 1962, Moon and Han founded the Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea, a girls Korean folk ballet company meant to promote a positive perception of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. In 1984, Han spoke at a Unification Church sponsored academic conference in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to a crowd of 240 which included professors from Harvard, Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Stanford, University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
In 1993 U.S. Senator Trent Lott
Trent Lott
Chester Trent Lott, Sr. , is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate....
supported the bill "True Parents Day" in the U.S. Senate and in 1995 U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
signed a bill into law called "Parents Day"; children are to honor their parents on this day. This showed the relationship of the Unification Church to the Republican Party in the United States, according to news media. In 1993, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch
Orrin Hatch
Orrin Grant Hatch is the senior United States Senator for Utah and is a member of the Republican Party. Hatch served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 2005...
introduced Han to a crowd at Capitol Hill; she stated at the event that she and Moon are "the first True Parents". Moon was in the audience watching her speech, along with members of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
Wedding ceremonies
Han and Moon together preside over the mass wedding ceremonies for which the Unification Church is noted. (see: Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church) In 1997 they donned crowns and gold-trimmed robes to lead a mass wedding and marriage rededication ceremony in Washington D.C. for 20,000 couples, 2,500 of them Unification Church members whose marriages had been arranged by Moon. According to one news report Han has joined together with Moon in pairing up couples who had never met each other, based merely upon looking at their photos. In 1997 Han presided with her husband over a marriage affirmation ceremony for 28,000 couples, some married and some newly engaged, in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. During the ceremony Han and Moon sprinkled holy water
Holy water
Holy water is water that, in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Oriental Orthodoxy, and some other churches, has been sanctified by a priest for the purpose of baptism, the blessing of persons, places, and objects; or as a means of repelling evil.The use for baptism and...
on the couples.
Women's Federation for World Peace
In 1992 Han established the Women's Federation for World PeaceWomen's Federation for World Peace
The Women's Federation for World Peace is an organization whose stated purpose is to encourage women to work more actively in promoting peace in their communities and greater society. It was founded in 1992 by Hak Ja Han, the wife of Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and is supported by...
with the support of the Unification Church, and traveled the world speaking at conventions on its behalf. The Women's Federation's purpose is to encourage women to work more actively in promoting peace in their communities and greater society, and it includes 143 member countries. According to the Unification News, Han organized a Unification Church conference held in Tokyo in 1993, which was the first anniversary of the Women's Federation for World Peace. The keynote speaker was former Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Dan Quayle
Dan Quayle
James Danforth "Dan" Quayle served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush . He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana....
's wife Marilyn Tucker Quayle, and in a speech at the event Han spoke positively of Mrs. Quayle's humanitarian work.
In 1993 Han traveled to 20 cities in the United States promoting Women's Federation for World Peace, as well as to 12 countries. At a stop in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
she told attendants: "If a family is not centered on God's ideal of love, there will be conflict among the members of that family. Without God's love as an absolute center, such a family will ultimately break down. A nation of such families will also decline." Her 1993 speeches in the United States focused on increasing violence in the U.S., and the degradation of the family unit.
In 1995 Han spoke at a Women's Federation for World Peace event in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
along with former United States president George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
. Han spoke after Bush's speech and praised Moon, crediting him for the decline of communism and saying that he must save America from "the destruction of the family and moral decay."
Family Federation for World Peace
In 1996 Han went on a world tour, speaking on behalf of the Unification Church under its alternative name the Family Federation for World Peace. Her speeches were given in cities across the United States, as well as countries including KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and 16 other countries in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. In July 1996 she spoke at the Family Federation for World Peace's Inaugural World Convention at the National Building Museum
National Building Museum
The National Builders Museum, in Washington, D.C., United States, is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning"...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Han's closing address was the climax of the proceedings, and was called the "Founder's Address".
Coronation ceremony
On March 23, 2004, Moon and Han were honored at an Ambassadors for Peace awards banquet held by the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (which is sponsored by the Unification Church) in a United States federal office building in Washington D. C. It was called a "Crown of Peace" ceremony. At the event, Sun Myung Moon stated he was the MessiahMessiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
. Over 12 United States lawmakers were in attendance at the event. The event was criticized as a violation of the principle of separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
in the United States.
Universal Peace Federation
In 2006 Han spoke in New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on behalf of the Unification Church sponsored Universal Peace Federation and called for traditional families, religious and cross-cultural tolerance, and a $315 billion "peace tunnel" across the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
connecting Russia and the United States.
Increasing influence
In 1992 Moon increased Han's position of authority within the Unification Church, and announced: "True Mother was elevated to True Father's level horizontally." Hak Ja Han has been Moon's successor designate as leader of the Unification Church since 1993. Massimo IntrovigneMassimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne is an Italian sociologist and intellectual property consultant. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions , an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of tens of books and articles in...
of the Center for Studies on New Religions writes in The Unification Church (2000): "The issue of succession is now of fundamental importance. The Reverend Moon will be eighty years old (by Korean age calculations, he turned eighty in 1999) in 2000. Mrs. Moon is fifty-seven years old. Since 1992 she has taken a more visible role, particularly in three world speaking tours in 1992, 1993, and 1999. Mrs. Moon has also spoken on Capitol Hill, at the United Nations, and in other parliaments around the world. Her relative youth and the respect with which she is held by the membership may be a point of stability for the Unification movement." George D. Chryssides
George D. Chryssides
Dr George D. Chryssides was a senior lecturer and Head of Religious Studies at the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences of the University of Wolverhampton now working for Birmingham University....
writes in Exploring New Religions (2001) that Han's importance with the church continues to grow. Chryssides predicted that she would lead the Unification Church and preside over blessing ceremonies after Moon's death, since she would then be "the remaining True Parent."
In 2003 over 8,000 Unification Church members attended a ceremony in South Korea in which Han and Moon were remarried. This was said to be the fulfillment of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb written about in the Apocalypse of John. Authors James R. Lewis and Jesper Aagaard Petersen write in Controversial New Religions (2005) that she "has exercised increasing influence in the Unification Church". In 2009 author Jacob Neusner reported that church members believed that Han would continue to lead them after Moon's death since she is considered to jointly be the Messiah, together with him. In 2010 National Public Radio reported that Unification Church services in the United States invoked the name of Han along with Moon in their opening greetings to congregants. In that same year, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
reported that Han was living in South Korea with her husband while their children took more responsibility for the day-to-day leadership of the Unification Church and its affiliated organizations.
External links
- True Love King, Website about Rev. and Mrs. Moon
- The Birth and Childhood of Hak Ja Han Moon at website of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Oceania
- Speeches of Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon, at www.unification.net
- Biography of Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon, at www.reverendsunmyungmoon.org