Clarifying the Facts – Part 2

Hyojeong Briefing

By Rev. Kim Dong-yeon, Vice President of FFWPU Korea

Beloved Members,

Some media outlets have recently published distorted reports alleging that True Mother and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification have links to political circles and have provided financial support in those circles. Some of our members are curious about the accuracy of these reports, so we are offering you the following information regarding these issues: 

Allegations of Collusion and Approval Related to Political Funding

As a religious leader, True Mother is dedicated to promoting world peace and spiritual values. She has never been involved in secular matters such as political donations or election support. Any claims that True Mother directed the disbursement of political donations or systematically mobilized church members in connection with the 20^th Korean presidential election are entirely without merit.

At the time of the 20^th Korean presidential election, the execution of financial transactions related to the International Headquarters was conducted through an independent budget system, subject to approval by the director-general of the International Headquarters at that time, Yun Young-ho, and the finance director at the time, Lee Shin-hye. The headquarters’ annual budget, amounting to hundreds of billions of won, was managed within the headquarters in accordance with our Articles of Incorporation and accounting standards.

Based on our own investigation, it has been determined that the amount of money Yun Young-ho, Lee Shin-hye, and others made inappropriate use of, or embezzled, is significant. These actions were entirely unrelated to any approval by or instructions from True Mother.

Suspicions of Political Donations and Gift Giving

The media is also reporting its suspicions that True Mother directed former Headquarters Director-General Yun Young-ho to provide support for certain politicians, but this is also not the case. As members know, True Mother is the central representative for the entire worldwide Family Federation for World Peace community, and conveys the Word to all the members worldwide. She is not involved in supporting any specific political parties or politicians.

It appears that former Director-General Yun attempted to use his authority within the International Headquarters to facilitate the provision of  political support. At times, during this process, Yun Young-ho and Lee Shin-hye used their personal credit cards to purchase expensive items and then settled these purchases through the world headquarters accounting system. True Mother was not involved in these actions.

Allegations of Overseas Political Funding 

The allegations raised by some media outlets about “overseas political funding” are also baseless. The funds provided overseas at that time were purely in support of missionary work for humanitarian purposes. Nepal and Senegal, in particular, were key missionary countries for the Family Federation at the time, and funds were sent for public missionary support aimed at supporting the eradication of poverty, peace education, and women’s empowerment programs in local communities. Alleging that these funds were used for political purposes could constitute defamation of the Family Federation leaders who were conducting missionary work in these countries.

We Will Respond Firmly to False Reports 

The essence of the current situation is one individual’s wayward behavior. Despite True Mother not having been involved in any illegal activities, some media outlets appear to be driven by religious bias to report inaccurately, without making the effort to verify the facts. The Family Federation will clearly reveal all the pertinent facts through standard legal processes for the protection of religious freedom and the honoring of faith guaranteed by the constitution of the Republic of Korea, and will firmly respond to the false reports.

Beloved members,

Recently, there have been various actions aimed at religiously oppressing the Family Federation. Just as True Mother’s religious freedom and individual human rights were not adequately guaranteed during the process of her arrest and indictment, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification as a whole is being branded by some as an illegal organization. However, the truth is that the history of the Family Federation, which spans more than 70 years, is filled with countless actions dedicated to improving the situation in various localities, nations and in the world. True Mother has said, “It may take time, but the truth will surely emerge.” In light of this, we must stand steadfastly on the side of facts and principles and continue to move forward. I ask all members to join together with faith and devotion in upholding the truth.