Olympian, historian, tycoon, organizer, thought leader, global peacebuilder
No Korean, in fact, no Asian, has embraced with such intense visioning and passion a man’s quest for peace and the reunification of the two Koreas.
Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is an authentic person, one who has answered God’s call to us—to a life of peace, harmony, unity, love of family. And of course, the fear and love of the Great Being.
For three decades, if not longer, Dr. Moon has been the driving force behind the Korean reunification movement centered on the Hongik Ingan ideal.
Korean Dream
He introduced the Korean Dream framework in 2010 when reunification was viewed to be an impossibility by both domestic and international experts. The framework has inspired a global movement spearheaded by Action for Korea United (AKU), the largest grassroots organization for Korean reunification in history.
AKU engages thousands of Korean citizens in the reunification effort by empowering them to develop self-driven initiatives for peaceful reunification based on their shared history and aspirations.
Today, AKU membership includes over 1,000 NGOs. Other chapters have been formed in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom to engage the Korean diaspora in the Korean Dream work. Dr. Moon is an ambassador of peace—a calling that summons such qualities as love of God, love of mankind, hope, optimism, grace, gentleness, in a world of merciless corruption, rampant injustice, gnawing resentment, and unbridled anger and violence.
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A sense of history
In his undertakings, he is guided by a keen sense of history and a framework that man’s ultimate entitlement is peace and harmony and that a greater power will bring about that happy realization and fulfillment. At the same time, his feet are grounded, like a hard-nosed businessmen, in the realities of the day.
Dr. Moon is a two-time Olympian having represented his native South Korea in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics as the youngest member (at 18) of his country’s Equestrian Team.
Leadership development
In addition to his record of service to Korea, Dr. Moon is best known for his leadership development and humanitarian work throughout the world.
A man of deep faith and conviction, Dr. Moon recognizes that the most critical factor for building peace is moral and innovative leadership guided by spiritual principles and values.
This conviction has guided his approach for over three decades to global peacebuilding efforts, nation-building roadmaps, family strengthening initiatives, and identity- based conflict resolution, including those fueled by religious extremism.
A historian and an MBA
Dr. Moon went on to graduate, magna cum laude, in history, from the University of Columbia (his thesis was on the interwar years of Korea), and received his MBA from Harvard Business School.
A pivotal role in Korea’s independence
He was born in Korea to a family that played a pivotal role in Korea’s independence and its development across four generations.
He has continued to build upon the family legacy of patriotism for the nation and service to the world for the past 34 years. For most of his professional life, Dr. Moon worked closely with his father, the late Reverend Dr. Sun Myung Moon, to build an international foundation that has contributed significantly to South Korea’s economic development and to humanitarian causes around the world.
Groundbreaking visit to the North
In 1991, Rev. Moon made a groundbreaking visit to North Korea, where he became the first South Korean public figure to meet with North Korean President Kim Il-sung.
The historic meeting not only paved the way for separated families to finally meet but also led to the opening of manufacturing and tourism ventures, first by companies affiliated with Rev. Moon and later by other South Korean enterprises.
In 2001, ten years after his father opened North Korea to the international community, Dr. Moon established the global non-profit, Service For Peace, which engages volunteers in ongoing community development programs throughout the world.
Service for peace
Service For Peace was the first volunteer organization allowed into North Korea to facilitate joint projects with South and North Koreans. Service For Peace currently holds special consultative status with the United Nations. Starting at the turn of the millennium, Dr. Moon worked with his father on international and interreligious peacebuilding efforts through the Universal Peace Foundation, including building a global network of leaders committed to universal principles, shared values, and collaborative action as ambassadors for peace to address the critical challenges facing humanity.
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Global Peace Foundation founded
In 2009, Dr. Moon founded the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) and currently serves as its chairman.
Active in over 20 countries, GPF promotes and implements an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God.
With its ever-expanding network of vision-inspired partners, GPF has generated a growing record of effective community-driven peacebuilding models that tackle long-standing identity-based conflicts in regions around the world.
GPF expands
In Africa, GPF has been recognized for its indispensable role in mitigating post-election violence in Kenya since 2008 and promoting the central importance of foundational ideals as the nation framed and ratified its new constitution.
The One Family under God Peacebuilding Campaign, implemented in the most challenging conflict zone in Nigeria with remarkable positive impact, has gained international acclaim and is being successfully replicated in many other regions.
In the United States, GPF has been actively engaged in urban peacebuilding efforts, working with federal, state and local agencies to prevent violent extremism and targeted violence.
In Asia, GPF has cultivated a powerful multi-generational, multi- sectoral, interfaith leadership network united by a common vision and shared spiritual principles that has been generating innovative initiatives like the Millennial Peace Festivals, the Global Youth Summit and the All-Lights Village Initiative to secure peace and development.
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GPF has made Europe a peace-sharing hub where leaders from conflict regions can share challenges and successes as they seek fresh perspective and innovation. In Latin America, particularly Paraguay, GPF has been instrumental in demonstrating a process for national transformation undergirded by spiritual principles and values and driven by moral and innovative leadership.
Organizations
Dr. Moon has been a leading force in founding important organizations that promote good governance, social integration, and sustainable development such as the Instituto de Desarrollo del Pensamiento Patria Soñada (IDPPS), a prestigious think tank in Paraguay, and the Latin America Presidential Mission, an association of former heads of state from over a dozen countries throughout the region.
In 2017, Dr. Moon and his wife, Dr. Junsook Moon, co-founded the Family Peace Association (FPA).
FPA engages individuals, families, and organizations in building God-centered families as the foundation of a peaceful world.
A loving husband and father, Dr. Moon lives in the United States with his wife of over 30 years, Dr. Junsook Moon, a Julliard-trained pianist who serves as the chairwoman of Global Peace Women. They have 9 children, of which two are graduates and one currently attends the United States Military Academy.