Nansook Hong
Encyclopedia
Nansook Hong is the former wife of Hyo Jin Moon
, first son of Unification Church
founder and leader Sun Myung Moon
and his wife Hakja Han Moon
. They divorced in 1995. In 1998 her autobiography
(co-authored with Eileen McNamara
), In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family, was published.
to be the wife of his eldest son, Hyo Jin Moon
. According to Hong, Hyo Jin abused drugs and was unfaithful to her. His drug lapses were blamed on Hong. Bringing her children with her, Hong left the Unification Church
and Hyo Jin, and recounts her experiences in In the Shadow of the Moons.
Hong recounted some of the material described in her book, in an interview by Mike Wallace
on 60 Minutes
, in September 1998. In October 1998, Hong participated in an online interview hosted by TIME Magazine, in which she stated: "Rev. Moon has been proclaiming that he has established his ideal family, and fulfilled his mission, and when I pinpointed that his family is just as dysfunctional as any other family - or more than most - then I think his theology falls apart."
In May 1999, Hong presented a talk on her book at the International Cultic Studies Association
Conference: Cults, Psychological Manipulation & Society.
work by Hong, published by Little, Brown and Company
. The book is cited by at least six other books relating to cult
s and new religious movement
s.
Peter Maass
, writing in the New Yorker Magazine, called what is revealed in the book Sun Myung Moon's "most damaging scandal", and categorized the book as a "tell-all memoir".
The book has also been published in German, in 1998,
and in French, in 2000.
The book is dedicated: "For my children". According to an article in the New York Post
, Hong stated that "she contracted a sexually transmitted disease from her husband Hyo Jin Moon and was "a toy for his sexual pleasure or an outlet for his violent rages." In her review of the book for Cultic Studies Journal, Marcia Rudin wrote that due to Nansook Hong's position within the Moon family, her story cannot simply be dismissed by cult apologist
s as an atrocity tale. Rudin went on to state that: "The compelling credibility of this book demands that Nansook's story be paid attention to. Many Unification Church members are paying it attention, for, according to Nansook and others, the first-hand testimony delivered through this book has already caused many Unification Church members to leave the group." Rafael Martinez, the director of Spiritwatch Ministries writes that the book is a "...painfully honest and personal reflection of her life as a bride to Hyo Jin, Moon's eldest son..."
Hyo Jin Moon
Hyo-Jin Moon was the eldest son of 14 children of Sun Myung Moon and Hakja Han Moon. For ten years he was head of the Unification Church-owned Manhattan Center Studios recording facility in New York City...
, first son of 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...
founder and leader 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...
and his wife Hakja Han Moon
Hak Ja Han
Hak Ja Han or Hakja Han Moon 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 divorced in 1995. In 1998 her autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
(co-authored with Eileen McNamara
Eileen McNamara
Eileen McNamara, is a columnist for Boston_ and a journalism professor at Brandeis University. She is a former Boston Globe columnist, where she won the Pulitzer Prize....
), In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family, was published.
Biography
Nansook Hong was chosen by 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...
to be the wife of his eldest son, Hyo Jin Moon
Hyo Jin Moon
Hyo-Jin Moon was the eldest son of 14 children of Sun Myung Moon and Hakja Han Moon. For ten years he was head of the Unification Church-owned Manhattan Center Studios recording facility in New York City...
. According to Hong, Hyo Jin abused drugs and was unfaithful to her. His drug lapses were blamed on Hong. Bringing her children with her, Hong left 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 Hyo Jin, and recounts her experiences in In the Shadow of the Moons.
Hong recounted some of the material described in her book, in an interview by Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace (journalist)
Myron Leon "Mike" Wallace is an American journalist, former game show host, actor and media personality. During his 60+ year career, he has interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers....
on 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, in September 1998. In October 1998, Hong participated in an online interview hosted by TIME Magazine, in which she stated: "Rev. Moon has been proclaiming that he has established his ideal family, and fulfilled his mission, and when I pinpointed that his family is just as dysfunctional as any other family - or more than most - then I think his theology falls apart."
In May 1999, Hong presented a talk on her book at the International Cultic Studies Association
International Cultic Studies Association
The International Cultic Studies Association , formerly the American Family Foundation, describes itself as an "interdisciplinary network of academicians, professionals, former group members, and families who study and educate the public about social-psychological influence and control,...
Conference: Cults, Psychological Manipulation & Society.
In the Shadow of the Moons
In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family is a 1998, non-fictionNon-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
work by Hong, published by Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
. The book is cited by at least six other books relating to cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
s and new religious movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
s.
Peter Maass
Peter Maass
Peter Maass is an American journalist and author. He was born in 1960 in Los Angeles, California and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the New York Times Magazine. He has mainly covered...
, writing in the New Yorker Magazine, called what is revealed in the book Sun Myung Moon's "most damaging scandal", and categorized the book as a "tell-all memoir".
The book has also been published in German, in 1998,
and in French, in 2000.
The book is dedicated: "For my children". According to an article in the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, Hong stated that "she contracted a sexually transmitted disease from her husband Hyo Jin Moon and was "a toy for his sexual pleasure or an outlet for his violent rages." In her review of the book for Cultic Studies Journal, Marcia Rudin wrote that due to Nansook Hong's position within the Moon family, her story cannot simply be dismissed by cult apologist
Cult apologist
The term cult apologist is used by opponents of cults and new religious movements to describe social scientists, religious scholars, and other persons who write about cults and new religious movements whose writings they consider as uncritical or not sufficiently critical. Scholars have referred to...
s as an atrocity tale. Rudin went on to state that: "The compelling credibility of this book demands that Nansook's story be paid attention to. Many Unification Church members are paying it attention, for, according to Nansook and others, the first-hand testimony delivered through this book has already caused many Unification Church members to leave the group." Rafael Martinez, the director of Spiritwatch Ministries writes that the book is a "...painfully honest and personal reflection of her life as a bride to Hyo Jin, Moon's eldest son..."
External links
- Review of In the Shadow of the Moons by a Unification Church member.
- Interviews with Nansook Hong on local and national news shows on television, including on 60 Minutes60 Minutes60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
.