Moon Ik-hwan was a 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...

n pastor

Pastor

The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

, theologist, poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 and activist engaged in various social movements. He was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for his achievement in 1992. He was also the father of Moon Sung-keun

Moon Sung-keun

Moon Sung-keun is a South Korean actor. Moon was born as the son of Rev. Moon Ik-hwan in Tokyo, Japan, in 1953. After graduation from Sogang University with a bachelor degree in trading, Moon had worked as a salary man for 8 years. Moon started acting on stage in 1985...

, a noted actor in South Korea.

Early life and education

He was born as the first son of the Reverend, Moon Jae-rin and mother, Shin Sin-muk . He had two brothers and two sisters. He was raised in Bukgando where Korean independence movement

Korean independence movement

The Korean independence movement grew out of the Japanese colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945. After the Japanese surrendered, Korea became independent; that day is now an annual holiday called Gwangbokjeol in South Korea, and Chogukhaebangŭi nal in North Korea.-Background:In...

 was centered. After finishing up education at Myeongdong Elementary school and Eunjin Middle school that ethnic Koreans established, Moon went to Sungsil Middle School in Pyongyang

Pyongyang

Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...

, and then Yongjeong Gwangmyeong School in Bukgando. Although Moon Ik-hwan entered Tokyo Union Theological Seminary

Tokyo Union Theological Seminary

thumb|200px|Tokyo Union Theological Seminary is a private university in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1930, and it was chartered as a university in 1949....

 in Japan, he was dismissed from the school because of his refusal to enlist himself to Japanese army. He then transferred to Bongcheon Seminary (봉천신학교) in Manchuria

Manchuria

Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...

 and served as a preacher at a Korean church. In 1947, he graduated Hansin University and received the imposition of hands. After he earned his master degree from Princeton University

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....

 in the United States, he returned to South Korea and began to lecture the Old Testament

Old Testament

The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...

 at Yonsei University

Yonsei University

Yonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...

 and Hansin University.

Career

Moon worked as the main chief for the translation on the Old Testament by a joint collaboration of the Protestant and Catholic church in South Korea for 8 years. In 1976, he was imprisoned for (3·1민주구국선언). According to the New York Times:

Moon was jailed five times, for a total of 10 years, for dissident activities. In the spring of 1993 he was released early from a five-year sentence for making an unapproved visit to North Korea, where he spoke with leaders about the possibility of unification, in 1989. South Korean law bars contacts with Communists without prior approval.