Chung Hwan Kwak

South Korean religious leader

Chung Hwan Kwak

Hangul|

곽정환

Hanja|

郭錠煥

Revised Romanization| Gwak Jeong-hwan
McCune–Reischauer| Kwak Chŏnghwan

In this Korean name, the family name is  Kwak.

Chung Hwan Kwak

Born|  (1936-01-22) January 22, 1936 (age 89)
Occupation| religious leader

Chung Hwan Kwak, (born January 22, 1936) is a South Korean religious leader. He was in leadership in the Unification Church until 2009. He was appointed to many lead positions in organizations related to the Unification Church by its founder Sun Myung Moon. Since 2002, he was the chairman and president of News World Communications, which owns United Press International, and other publications, including the Middle East Times, and Tiempos del Mundo, a Spanish-language newspaper published in 16 countries throughout the Americas.[1][2][3] He was 0palso the president of the Family Party for the Universal Peace and Unity, a South Korean political party founded by Unification Church members, one of whose main goals is the reunification of Korea.[4] He was also the chairman of the Social Responsibility Committee for the Asian Football Confederation.[5]

Kwak advocated The Washington Times to support international organizations such as the United Nations and to promote for world peace and interfaith understanding. This created difficulties for editor Wesley Pruden and some of the Times' columnists. Issues of contention included the Unification movement's reconciliatory attitude towards North Korea, which at the time included joint business ventures, and Kwak's advocacy for greater understanding between the United States and the Islamic world. David Ignatius, reporting for The Washington Post, predicted that conservatives in Congress and the George W. Bush administration would support Pruden's position over Kwak's.[6]

Kwak's daughter, Jun Sook Kwak, is married to Moon's son, Hyun Jin Moon.[7][8] Kwak left the Unification Church in 2009 after internal strife and is now the Honorary President of the Global Peace Foundation. Hyun Jin Moon's controversial sect that has battled other Unification Church offshoots led by his brother and mother for control of Unification Church assets.[9][10]

After the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by the son of a Unification Church member, Kwak held a press conference in which he apologized and blamed other Unification Church leaders.[11][12]

## Speeches and writings

[edit]

* collected speeches and writings

## See also

[edit]

* List of Unification movement people
* Dong Moon Joo
* Bo Hi Pak
* Unification Church of the United States

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Dr. Chung Hwan Kwak, American City Business Journals, Accessed August 26, 2008
2. ^ "News World Communications". The Columbia Journalism Review. 2003-11-24. Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
3. ^ Leadership Team United Press International
4. ^ Sun Myung Moon forms new political party to merge divided Koreas, Church and State, May 2003
5. ^ "United Nations Sport for Development and Peace – FAO". Un.org. 2011-07-29. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
6. ^ Ignatius, David (June 18, 2004). "Tension of the Times". The Washington Post. p. A29. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. "Insiders say the church's new line is that with the end of the Cold War, it's important to support international organizations such as the United Nations and to campaign for world peace and interfaith understanding. That stance would be awkward for The Washington Times's hard-line editor in chief, Wesley Pruden, and its stable of neoconservative columnists."
7. ^ From the Unification Church to the Unification Movement, 1994-1999: Five Years of Dramatic Changes Center for Studies on New Religions "Hyun Jin Moon's blessing to Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak's (the Reverend Moon's assistant and former president of the FFWPUI) daughter, Jun Sook Kwak, was also a significant point of continuity."
8. ^ Tension of the Times The Washington Post June 18, 2004, "Sources say that the dominant church official overseeing the publications is now the Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak, a close adviser to the church's founder, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon."
9. ^ "Unification Church's founder 'was close' to Shinzo Abe's grandfather". 20 July 2022.
10. ^ "Dr. Chung Hwan Kwak | Global Peace Foundation".
11. ^ “아베 사망, 통일교 무리한 헌금 탓” 전 통일교 2인자 곽정환 주장 [“Abe died due to excessive donations to the Unification Church,” asserts Kwak Jeong-hwan, former second leader of the Unification Church] (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. 20 July 2022. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022.
12. ^ 旧統一教会“元No.2”が謝罪「安倍元総理の死に責任」…献金も痛烈批判「教団は堕落」 [Former Unification Church "former No. 2" apologizes "responsible for the death of former Prime Minister Abe" ... Donations are also severely criticized "the cult is corrupt"] (in Japanese). TV Asahi. 20 July 2022. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022.

* v
* t
* e

Unification Church

Doctrines and ceremonies|

* Divine Principle
* Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church
* Unification Church funeral

Organizations and projects|

* Chungnam Ilhwa Chunma
* Clube Atlético Sorocaba
* Clube Esportivo Nova Esperança
* Family Peace Association
* Global Peace Foundation
* Inchon
* Insight magazine
* International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences
* Little Angels Children's Folk Ballet of Korea
* Manhattan Center
* News World Communications
* Nicaragua Was Our Home
* Peace Cup
* Pyeonghwa Motors
* Rod of Iron Ministries
* Segye Ilbo
* Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
* Sun Myung Moon University
* Tongil Group
* Unification Church of the United States
* World Scripture
* Wyndham New Yorker Hotel
* Unification Theological Seminary
* United Press International
* Universal Ballet
* The Washington Times

History and controversy|

* Criticism of Unification Church in Japan
* Assassination of Shinzo Abe
* "Crazy for God"
* "Heavenly deception"
* "Love bombing"
* Million Family March
* "Moonie (nickname)"
* Subcommittee on International Organizations of the Committee on International Relations
* United States of America v. Sun Myung Moon
* The Unification Church and politics

Books|

* As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen
* Doomsday Cult: A Study of Conversion, Proselytization, and Maintenance of Faith
* Gifts of Deceit
* Inquisition: The Persecution and Prosecution of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon
* The Making of a Moonie
* Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church

Lists|

* People
* Related organizations

Related topics|

* Conservatism in South Korea
* Republican Party (United States of America)
* Korean reunification

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