Hyo Jin Moon

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Hyo-Jin Moon (Korean: 문효진, Hanja: 文孝進, born December 3, 1962, died March 17, 2008) was a musician and multimedia executive producer. He was the eldest son of 14 children of Sun Myung Moon and Hakja Han Moon. For many years he was head of Manhattan Center Studios, a state-of-the-art recording facility in New York City for musicians and televised events.

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[edit] Major leadership positions

Hyo Jin Moon served as worldwide president of the student branch of Unificationism, World CARP (Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles). [1] During his tenure, which lasted from 1982 until 1987, he memorably led thousands of students to protest at the Berlin Wall in 1987. [2]

He also pioneered education standards for the church's Second Generation (children of Blessed members).

[edit] First marriage

At age 19 Hyo Jin was married to a 15-year-old bride, Nansook Hong, chosen for him by his father, Sun Myung Moon. During their fourteen years of marriage, Nan Sook bore him 5 children.

In her tell-all book, In the Shadow of the Moons, Nan Sook reports that her husband had long-term problems with substance abuse, violent behavior, and extra-marital sex.

According to Hyo Jin's former assistant Madelene Pretorious, his predicament was made worse when:

He learned, apparently from a family member in 1992, that the long-denied accounts of Moon's sexual rites with early female initiates were true. "When Hyo Jin found out about his father's 'purification' rituals, that took a lot out of wind out of his sails," she said. In late 1994, during conversations in Hyo Jin's suite at the New Yorker Hotel, "he confided a lot of things to me," Pretorious continued. Hyo Jin had discovered, too, that Moon had fathered a child out of wedlock in the early 1970s. Moon arranged for the child to be raised by his longtime lieutenant Bo Hi Pak, Pretorious said. The boy - now a young man - had confronted Hyo Jin, seeking recognition as Hyo Jin's half-brother. Pretorious said she later corroborated the story with other church members.[3]

[edit] Spousal abuse and divorce

Throughout their 14 years of marriage there was a continuous problem with the issues mentioned above, including cocaine addiction and physical abuse, according to Hong.[4] Hong reports that on several occasions (and for more than one child) he punched her repeatedly while threatening to kill the baby she was carrying in her womb; describing this in an interview she relates that Hyo Jin Moon would say "It's a thrill to be violent."[5] Fearing for her safety and that of her children, Hong fled the Moon estate at East Garden in Irvington, NY, in 1995 with her children, and filed for divorce.

[edit] Legal troubles

Judge Edward M. Ginsburg ruled that Hyo Jin pay $8,500 alimony and child support as well as $65,000 for Nansook's legal fees. When Hyo Jin failed to pay the legal fees, he was held in contempt of court and jailed. Later his legal team produced evidence that 3 weeks after his jailing he was cut off from the $84,000 a year he had been receiving from the Swiss-based "True Family Trust," and that he had lost his $60,000 job running the Manhattan Center for health reasons. Hyo Jin claimed he had run out of money and declared bankruptcy, though in the bankruptcy deposition on November 15, 1996, he confirmed that he had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash at the Manhattan Center (that was not reported as taxable income). The money reportedly was spent on alcohol, drugs, and entertaining. Hyo Jin was prevented from visitations with his children for nearly two years due to failed drug tests.[6]

[edit] Remarriage

At age 36, Hyo Jin Moon married Yun Ah Choi February 5, 1999, in a marriage ceremony arranged by his parents. Together, Hyo Jin and his wife were raising four young children of their own.

[edit] Recent public activities

Following his second marriage, Hyo Jin Moon dedicated his efforts to supporting projects which contributed to creating a positive influence on the culture, especially for young people and families. His previous experience with addiction fueled a determination to make a difference in the lives of young people. Beginning in January 2006, prompted by the tragic death of his son Shin Gil in an auto accident the previous month, he began ministering in Westchester County, New York.

In July of 2006, Hyo Jin Moon travelled to Africa together with his mother, Hakja Han Moon, where he delivered public addresses in several nations, as part of a 180-city world peace tour. Despite being regarded by many outside the Moon clan as a prodigal son, his parents and brothers and sisters regarded Hyo Jin as being a member of the True Family.

[edit] Music

An accomplished musician, Hyo Jin Moon has written and recorded hundreds of songs. Some of his album titles are: "Rebirth" (1988), "Offering Songs" (1989), "Star Songs", "Unification of Korea" (1990), "Promise of Love", "Paradise Before Heaven", "Bag'Em and Tag'Em", "Hell's On Fire", "Beat the Devil Out of You" (1991), "Devil Grinder", "Devil's Nutcracker", and "My Pledge" (1992), "Axe 6" and "The Keeper" (1993), "The Pit" (1994). [7] Until shortly before his death Moon continued to play electric guitar and perform in live concerts.

[edit] Death

On March 17, 2008 at 9:46 am local time, Hyo Jin Moon died in his birth country of Korea. He died of a heart attack (myocardial infarction) at the Moon family home in Hannam-dong in Seoul, South Korea. His body was taken to Cheongshim Hospital in Cheongpyeong. FFWPU North American Headquarters announced that his Seung-hwa (ascension) ceremony will be held on March 19, 2008 at 7:00 am at Cheongpyeong Heaven and Earth Training Center. The Wonjeon (burial) ceremony was held at Paju Wonjeon on March 19, 2008 at 11:am (Korean time). [8] [9] [10]

Rev. and Mrs. Moon supplied this brief eulogy for him: Shimcheon kaebang won chunghyo kaemun ju (深天開放苑 忠孝開門主), which can be translated into English (approximately) as “He will open and liberate the deepest heaven and turn it into a flower garden as the lord who opens the gates of loyalty and filial piety.”[11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ According to its web site, "World CARP is an international campus-based organization that raises young leaders of character who live for the greater good and build a culture of true love." World CARP official website Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  2. ^ Peace Tour.org. Peace Tour Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  3. ^ Dark Side of Rev. Moon: Generation Next Robert Parry 1997. Consortiumnews.com, The Consortium for Independent Journalism, Inc. Quotations are from In the Shadow of the Moons.
  4. ^ Hong, Nansook. (1998). In the Shadow of the Moons: My Life in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Family. Little, Brown. (ISBN 0-316-34816-3)
  5. ^ Nansook Hong on Hyo Jin Moon in interview on WBZ Boston News on television.
  6. ^ Boston Globe December 20, 1997
  7. ^ Canaan Station Album titles Retrieved March 19, 2008.
  8. ^ The passing of Hyo Jin Moon
  9. ^ Official FFWPU Ascension Ceremony Announcement
  10. ^ Photo: Hyo Jin Moon with his mother Hak Ja Han Moon on a speaking tour in 2006. Photo by Thomas Hwang used with permission.
  11. ^ Official FFWPU Ascension Ceremony Announcement

[edit] External links

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