Sun Myung Moon

Who was Sun Myung Moon?

Sun Myung Moon was a Korean religious leader, business magnate and media mogul. A self-proclaimed messiah, Moon was the founder of the Unification Church and of its widely noted "Blessing" or mass wedding ceremony. Moon's extensive business interests included News World Communications, an international news media corporation which founded The Washington Times and owns other media in several countries, and Tongil Group, a South Korean business group active in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and publishing.

Born in what is now North Korea, Moon and his family converted to Christianity when he was a child. In 1954, he founded the Unification Church in Seoul, South Korea based on conservative, family-oriented teachings from new interpretations of the Bible. Moon outlined these principles in his book, Explanation of the Divine Principle. In the 1960s and 1970s, Moon was a leading figure in a wave of new religious movements that raised controversy on several issues. Followers, who were then sometimes called "Moonies", considered Moon their True Father while critics labeled him a cult leader. In 1982, he was found guilty of willfully filing false federal income tax returns in a controversial case.