The Unification Church (), officially the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU; ), is an Abrahamic monotheistic new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists or sometimes informally Moonies. The Unification Church was founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon in Seoul, South Korea, as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC; ); in 1994, the organization changed its name to the FFWPU. It has a presence in approximately 100 countries. The FFWPU's leader is Hak Ja Han, Moon's wife; Moon had previously co-led it until his death. The couple's followers honor them with the title "True Parents".
The book Divine Principle informs the beliefs of the Unification Church. Moon regarded himself the Second Coming of Christ and taught that he was appointed to complete Jesus Christ's unfinished business, which he claimed was left incomplete due to the crucifixion. This mission included establishing a new ideal family, and a larger human lineage, free from sin. The Unification Church is well known for its mass weddings, known as Blessing ceremonies. Its members have founded, owned and supported related organizations in business, education,Yamamoto, J. I., 1995, Unification Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House Excerpt: politics and more. It has been referred to as South Korean nationalist. Its involvement in politics also includes anti-communism and support for Korean reunification.Kent, Stephen A., From Slogans to Mantras: Social Protest and Religious Conversion in the Late Vietnam War Era (Syracuse University Press, 2001), 168.
The Unification Church has been accused of excessive financial exploitation of its members. It has been criticized for its teachings and for its social and political influence, with critics calling it a dangerous cult,Barker, Eileen, The Making of a Moonie: Choice Or Brainwashing? Modern Revivals in Sociology, illustrated, reprint, revised ed. (Gregg Revivals, 1993) Bromley, David G. and Anson D. Shupe, Jr., "Moonies" in America: Cult, Church, and Crusade, edited by David G. Bromley, Sage Library of Social Research (Sage, 1979) a political powerhouse and a business empire.Swatos, William H. Jr. (1998). Encyclopedia of religion and society. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. .Stymied in U.S., Moon's Church Sounds a Retreat, Marc Fisher and Jeff Leen, The Washington Post, November 24, 1997 In 2025, Han was arrested due to her links to Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee. In March 2026, the Tokyo High Court upheld a 2025 decision ordering the Unification Church to dissolve in Japan; in June 2026, Japan's Supreme Court confirmed the decision.
Popular terminologies
Moon did not originally intend to establish a separate church or denomination, and did not give his group of followers its official name, Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (), until 1954. The informal name "Unification Church" () has been commonly used by members, the public and the news media. By 2018, the term "Unification Movement" was also widely used.
Moonies, the colloquial term for members, was first used in 1974 by some American media outlets. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Unification Church of the United States undertook an extensive public relations campaign against the use of the word by the news media. Many Unification Church members consider the word "Moonie" derogatory, despite originally being received neutrally. In other contexts, it is not always considered pejorative, as Unification Church members have used the word – including the president of the Unification Theological Seminary David Kim, Bo Hi Pak, Moon's aide and president of Little Angels Children's Folk Ballet of Korea, and Moon himself.
Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han, are regarded by Unificationists as the "True Father" and "True Mother," respectively, and as "True Parents" collectively.
History
Background and origins
On February 25, 1920, Moon was born Mun Yong-myeong in Sangsa-ri (), Deogun-myon (), Jeongju-gun, North P'yŏng'an Province (now part of North Korea), at a time when Korea was under Japanese rule. His birthday was recorded as January 6 by the traditional lunar calendar (February 25, 1920, according to the Gregorian Calendar). Around 1930, his family, who followed traditional Confucianist beliefs, converted to Christianity and joined a Presbyterian Church, where he later taught Sunday school.
In 1945, Moon attended the Israel Monastery (Israel Jesus Church near Seoul) with his wife, Choi Sun-Kil (; Choe Seon-gil), to learn the teachings of , including his book The Fundamental Principles of Christianity (基督敎根本原理 drafted March 2, 1946, published March 2, 1958). After World War II and the Japanese rule ended in 1945, Moon began preaching. In 1946, Moon traveled alone to Pyongyang in Communist-ruled North Korea. He was arrested on allegations of spying for South Korea and given a five-year sentence to the Hŭngnam labor camp.
Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (1954–1994)
Moon founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (HSA-UWC) in Seoul on May 1, 1954. It expanded rapidly in South Korea and, by the end of 1955, had 30 centers nationwide. The HSA-UWC expanded throughout the world, with most members living in South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and other nations in East Asia. In the 1970s, American HSA-UWC members were noted for raising money for Unification Church projects.Moon-struck, Time, October 15, 1973.
In 1955 the HSA-UWC founded The Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP; ). According to CARP's website, its goal is to promote "intercultural, interracial, and international cooperation through the Unification world view"."In 1955, Reverend Moon established the Collegiate Association for the Research of the Principle (CARP). CARP is now active on many campuses in the United States and has expanded to over eighty nations. This association of students promotes intercultural, interracial, and international cooperation through the Unification world view." J. Isamu Yamamoto states in Unification Church: "At times, CARP has been very subtle about its association with the Unification Church; however, the link between the two has always been strong since the purpose of both is to spread Moon's teachings."
The HSA-UWC also sent missionaries to Europe. They entered Czechoslovakia in 1968 and remained underground until the 1990s."Czechs, Now "Naively" Seeking Direction, See Dangers in Cults" , The New York Times, February 14, 1996 Unification movement activity in South America began in the 1970s with missionary work. Later, the HSA-UWC made large investments in civic organizations and business projects, including an international newspaper."Unification Church Gains Respect in Latin America", The New York Times, November 24, 1996 Starting in the 1990s, the HSA-UWC expanded in Russia and other former communist nations. Hak Ja Han, Moon's wife, made a radio broadcast to the nation from the State Kremlin Palace., Green Left Weekly, May 28, 1997. As of 1994, the HSA-UWC had about 5,000 members in Russia.A Less Secular Approach , The Saint Petersburg Times, June 7, 2002 About 500 Russian students had been sent to the US to participate in 40-day workshops.
Moon moved to the United States in 1971, although he remained a citizen of the Republic of Korea. In the 1970s, he gave a series of public speeches in the United States, including one in Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1974; two in 1976 in Yankee Stadium in New York City; and one near the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., where he spoke on "God's Hope for America" to 300,000 people. In 1975, the HSA-UWC held one of the largest peaceful gatherings in history, with 1.2 million people in Yeouido, South Korea. In the 1970s, the Unification Church, along with some other new religious movements, became a target of the anti-cult movement. Activists have accused the movement of having "brainwashed" its members. In 1976, American Unification Church president Neil Albert Salonen met with Senator Bob Dole to defend the HSA-UWC against charges made by its critics, including the parents of some members.Dole meeting with Moon aide called cordial , Lawrence Journal-World, February 24, 1976
The Unification Church's involvement in the seafood industry began at the direction of Moon, who ordered an expansion into "the oceanic providence". In 1976 and 1977 the Church invested nearly a million dollars into the United States seafood industry.Sushi and Rev. Moon: How Americans' growing appetite for sushi is helping to support his controversial church Chicago Tribune, April 11, 2006 Moon delivered a speech in 1980 entitled "The Way of Tuna," in which he claimed that "After we build the boats, we catch the fish and process them for the market, and then have a distribution network. This is not just on the drawing board; I have already done it." and declared himself the "king of the ocean." He also suggested that they could get around the recently imposed 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone by marrying American and Japanese members, allowing the Japanese ones to become American citizens, because once married, "we are not foreigners; therefore Japanese brothers, particularly those matched to Americans, are becoming ..... leaders for fishing and distribution." He also declared that "Gloucester is almost a Moonie town now!"
In 1976 UC members founded News World Communications, an international news media corporation. Its first two newspapers, The News World (later renamed the New York City Tribune) and the Spanish-language Noticias del Mundo, were published in New York from 1976 until the early 1990s. In 1982, The New York Times described News World as "the newspaper unit of the Unification Church".rSun Myung Moon Paper Appears in Washington from The New York Times Moon's son, Hyun Jin Moon, is its chairman of the board.Global Peace Festival stirs Japan United Press International November 17, 2008 News World Communications owns United Press International, The World and I, Tiempos del Mundo (Latin America), The Segye Ilbo (South Korea), The Sekai Nippo (Japan), the Zambezi Times (South Africa), and The Middle East Times (Egypt). Until 2008, it published the Washington, D.C.–based newsmagazine Insight on the News. Until 2010, it also owned The Washington Times. On November 2, 2010, Sun Myung Moon and a group of former Times editors purchased the paper from News World.
Starting in the 1980s, Moon instructed HSA-UWC members to take part in a program called "Home Church" in which they reached out to neighbors and community members through public service.Patrick Hickey Tahoe Boy: A journey back home John, Maryland, Seven Locks Press (2009) pp. 163–168 In April 1990, Moon visited the Soviet Union and met with President Mikhail Gorbachev. Moon expressed support for the political and economic transformations underway in the Soviet Union. At the same time, the movement was expanding into formerly communist nations.EVOLUTION IN EUROPE; New Flock for Moon Church: The Changing Soviet Student from The New York Times The Women's Federation for World Peace(세계평화여성연합, WFWP) was founded in 1992 by Hak Ja Han. Its stated purpose is to encourage women to work more actively to promote peace in their communities and society. It has members in 143 countries.
Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (1994–present)