Stranger Things

Dec. 26: Unification Church's Tangible But Hidden Presence (The Korea Times)

Dec. 27: Police Intensify Probe Into UC Lobbying in South Korea (Chosun Biz)

Dec. 27: Unification Church Officials Arrested Over Political Lobbying (The Chosun Daily)

QuotePolice investigating allegations of political lobbying by the Unification Church arrested and questioned Yun Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church's global headquarters, who was detained at a detention center on the 26th. The police also re-summoned Song Kwang-seok, former chairman of the Unification Church-affiliated Universal Peace Federation (UPF), and questioned two Unification Church officials as witnesses.

Dec. 12: UC Issues Apology for Recent Scandals, Distances From Former Director (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Quote"We deeply bow our heads in apology for causing great disappointment and concern to the public," said Song Yong-cheon, head of the Unification Church's Korean Association, in a statement released on Friday. "Our church has never, at an organizational level, colluded with political power or supported any specific political party with the intent of gaining advantage," wrote Song. "What the church truly pursues is the harmony of families, society, the nation and humanity, and it is unrelated to activities supporting or opposing specific parties."

Dec. 12: President Reportedly Sought Contact With NBA Star Stephen Curry Through UC (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Dec. 12: Police Charge Ex-Oceans Minister Over Alleged Money From UC (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Dec. 12: Unification Church Lobbying Three Projects Amid Strife (Chosun Daily)

Dec. 12: Police Must Put Credibility on The Line in Expanding UC Probe (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Dec. 14: Unification Church, Martial Law Probes Become Political Tit For Tat as Year Draws to Close (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Dec. 14: Mass Weddings & Political Power: Why Unification Church Keeps Resurfacing in Korean Politics (Korea Herald)

Dec. 15: Police Raid 10 Unification Church Locations Amid Bribery Allegations (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Dec. 16: UC Official Says Both Yoon & Lee Camps Contacted Him About Pence Meeting (Chosun Biz)

Dec. 18: Police Summon Ex-Oceans Minister For Questioning Over Alleged Bribes From UC (Yonhap News)

Dec. 18: Unification Church Case: Three Figures Face January 28 Verdicts (The Chosun Daily)

QuoteThe Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 27 decided to conduct the first-instance sentencing for three individuals on January 28 of next year: former first lady Kim Keon-hee, People Power Party Representative Kweon Seong-dong, and former Unification Church World President Yun Young-ho, who provided money and political funds to the two. Legal circles have referred to this as "the day of destiny."

Note to Self: Mark Calendar!

Dec. 18: UC's Main HQ Raided Again as Bribery Investigation Continues (Korea Joongang Daily)

Dec. 22: Exclusive: Unification Church Ex-Leader Approved Purchase of 500 Copies of Democratic Party Lawmaker's Book (The Chosun Daily)

Dec. 22: Editorial: DPK's new stance on Unification Church (The Korea Times)

Dec. 22: Kim Gyu-hwan sues Unification Church Figure Over False 30 million Won Claim (Chosun Biz)

Dec. 23: Police Question UC Finance Chief Over Alleged Political Lobbying Funds (Chosun Biz)

Dec. 23: Special Counsel Seeks 5-Year Term For Jeon Seong-bae Over UC Dealings (Chosun Biz)

Dec. 24: Police Raid Bulgari Korea Over UC Alleged Watch Gift to Ex-Oceans Minister (Yonhap News)

Dec. 24: Jailed Unification Church Leader Again Quizzed About Bribery Allegations (Yonhap News)

Dec. 6: Ex-Unification Church Official Admits Giving Kim Keon-hee Luxury Gifts to Obtain Favors (KBS World)

QuoteA former second-in-command at the Unification Church has testified in court that he gave luxury items to former first lady Kim Keon-hee with the expectation that her husband's administration would provide favors to the church.

At his embezzlement trial on Friday, Yun Young-ho said he tried to deliver the gifts, including a Chanel bag and a Graff necklace, to Kim in 2022 under instructions from church leader Han Hak-ja.

Dec. 8: Ex-Official Says UC Gave 'Tens of Millions of Won' to Democratic lawmakers (Hankyoreh)

Dec. 8: Ex-official of UC Claimed It Also Supported Some DP Politicians Ahead of 2022 Presidential Vote (Yonhap News)

Dec. 9: DP Faces its Own Questions for Former, Current Lawmakers' Ties to UC (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Dec. 9: Selective Investigations by Special Counsel Min Joong-ki Raise Question (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Dec. 10: Police Launch Special Unit to Probe Unification Church's Alleged Bribery of DP Lawmakers (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Dec. 10: Special Counsel Seeks Four-Year Prison Term For ex-UC Official (Yonhap News)

Dec. 11: Exclusive: Unification Church Sought Tunnel Favors from Minister Chun Jae-soo (Chosun Daily)

Dec. 11: Oceans Minister Offers to Resign Amid Allegations of Receiving Funds From UC (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Dec. 11: Special Counsel Confirms Ex-Church Official Mentioned Five Politicians Who Allegedly Received Funds from UC (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Nov. 21: Formal Trial to begin Dec. 1 For UC Leader Over Alleged bribery Linked to Ex-First Lady (Yonhap News)

Nov. 27: Kim Keon-hee's Aide Testifies on Chanel Bag False Testimony (Chosun Daily)

Nov. 28: People Power Party Rep. Kweon's Trial Concludes in Unification Church Case (The Chosun Daily)

QuoteThe trial of People Power Party Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, who was indicted on charges of receiving 100 million Korean won in illegal political funds from the Unification Church, is set to conclude next month. Considering that it typically takes about one to two months from the conclusion of arguments to the sentencing, the first-instance ruling is expected to be delivered as early as January-February next year.

Rep. Kweon was arrested and indicted on charges of receiving 100 million Korean won in illegal political funds from Yun Young-ho, former global head of the Unification Church, on Jan. 5, 2022, ahead of the 20th presidential election. According to the investigation, Yun reportedly said while handing over the money, "We hope that presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol will attend a Unification Church event in February 2022," and added, "If you support the Unification Church's policies and events later, we will help with the presidential election by utilizing the votes of Unification Church followers and the organization's network."

Dec. 2: UC Leaders Charged With Financing PPP Candidates, But Donations to DP Excluded From Probe (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Nov. 21: Abe Assassin's Family had "Nothing to Eat" Because of Mother's 100mil. Donation to UC (Nippon TV -Includes Video)

Nov. 26: Yamagami: No Anger at Abe But Fear He Could Legitimize Church (Asahi Shimbun)
Note to Self: Compare timeline of events to apologists blaming the murder on lawyers who support cult victims.

QuoteDuring the trial, the defense team has emphasized that Yamagami's life went downhill after his father killed himself and his mother donated heavily to the church. Yamagami attempted suicide in 2005 on thoughts of leaving insurance money to his older brother and younger sister, left the Maritime Self-Defense Force where he was employed, and returned home.

To make a living, he obtained licenses as a real estate agent and a level-2 financial planner over the next few years. While researching the deed of his old family home, he discovered that his mother had sold the house to provide more donations to the church.

"A huge shock" came in 2015, when his brother, who had opposed their mother's faith, committed suicide. Yamagami said two people connected to the church appeared at the brother's wake and suddenly began performing a church ritual in front of the coffin. "Stop it, please leave," Yamagami told them, but to no avail, he said. "I could do nothing but watch in silence, but I thought, 'How could they do such a thing?'" he said in court.

Dec. 6: Head of Unification Church in Japan to Resign as Court Case Continues (The Japan News)

QuoteTanaka is expected to hold a press conference as early as next week to announce his resignation and explain his reasons, the sources said. He also plans to apologize to former adherents of the church and others who have complained about damage caused by large donations to the group, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, according to the sources.

Dec. 6: Japanese PM-Assassin Hearing Puts Fraudulent Religious Groups Under Scrutiny (Caliber)

Dec. 9: Unification Church's Japan Head Resigns (Nippon)

Quote"We cannot underestimate the fact that we have caused deep pain to some people," Tanaka told a news conference held at the head office in Tokyo of the controversial religious group's Japan branch. "I'm sorry."

Dec. 18: Prosecutors Demand Life Sentence For Shooter of Ex-Japan Prime Minister Abe (Mainichi Shimbun)

2025

The following mention of an event at The Washington Times building caught my eye, and I thought it suitable for this thread. Also, the title of Dr. for Mrs. Moon is interesting because it's false. She has some honorary degrees - one of course from the university Moon founded, but the title of Dr. is reserved for those with earned Ph.Ds. One very small cog in the cult-of-personality machine:

Oct. 20: Muslim Women Raise Global Alarm Over Detention of Faith Leader Dr. Moon (The National Law Review/American Muslim & Multifaith Women's Empowerment Council)

QuoteAt an interfaith prayer and solidarity gathering held at the Washington Times building in Washington, D.C., Anila Ali, President of AMMWEC, and Zeba Zebunnesa, AMMWEC Executive Board Member and Peace Ambassador joined Dr. Michael Jenkins, President, Universal Peace Federation (UPF) North America, along with other faith leaders from Sikh, Christian and Jewish communities to pray for Dr. Moon's release and call attention to her case.

A Washington Times mention caught my eye from this UC Facebook page, called The Monarch Report:

Dec. 20: In December 2025, Pastor Mark Burns—a prominent U.S. evangelical leader and spiritual advisor to President Trump—completed his third fact-finding mission to South Korea with Michael Jenkins, President of The Washington Times Foundation and Universal Peace Federation (UPF).

The delegation met with detained religious figures, including Dr. Hak Ja Han of the Unification Church and Pastor Son Hyun-bo of Segero Church, both held following raids targeting multiple religious organizations.

Jan. 18, 2019: Washington Times Corp. Founding Chairman Bo-hi Pak Dies (The Washington Times)

QuoteBo-hi Pak, the founding chairman of The Washington Times Corp., who brought the flagship newspaper into existence in 1982 and who spent much of his life engaged in global diplomacy and peacemaking activities with Times' founders Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han Moon, died in Korea Jan. 12. He was 89. Lt. Col. Pak was the English translator for the Rev. Moon. He was at the evangelist's side at his large public speeches in the United States as well as many of the countless meetings Rev. Moon held with Unification Church members, leaders and guests.

Note: His kidnapping was not mentioned. Personally, if I survived a kidnapping by some Moonies, I'd want it mentioned in my obituary.

May 4, 2020: Dear Beloved True Mother, The Only Begotten Daughter (Family Fed - A Letter to Hak-ja Han)

QuoteAlso, about two years ago, you greeted the members of The Washington Times Fact-Finding Tour to Japan at Tokyo Hotel. As soon as you received a flower from the former director of the CIA and his wife, True Mother asked them, "Do you know who I am?" and you told them, "I am the Only Begotten Daughter."

Aug. 10. 2022: Unification Church Pushes Back Against 'Abusive' Media Reports in Wake of Shinzo Abe Assassination (The Washington Times/Internet Archive)

Quote"We strongly condemn the fake news and abusive language disseminated by a heartless media, which as hate speech, encourages religious discrimination, undermines the rights of individuals and, if anything, violates people's freedom of religion," he said.

Note: Actually, the above is quite a good article. I included the above quote as it reminded me of a related article.

For articles betweem 2013 and 2018 if I should find some worth posting...

Feb. 11, 2013: The Washington Times Takes a Giant Step–Backwards (Columbia Journalism Review)

QuoteBut while some conservative leaders are courting minority groups, one of the movement's ideological lodestars is taking a hard turn in the other direction. Last month, The Washington Times tapped Wesley Pruden, its one-time editor in chief, who was pushed out amid allegations that he allowed racism to fester in the newsroom, to run its Commentary section. Pruden's return–part of a wide-ranging shakeup following the death of the Times's founder–is a troubling sign for the opinion pages, long a key pipeline for conservative ideas and a training ground for right-of-center pundits.

Under Pruden's leadership, from 1992 to 2008, the Times became a forum for the racialist hard right, including white nationalists, neo-Confederates, and anti-immigrant scare mongers (all of which the Southern Poverty Law Center and The Nation magazine have documented at length). Pruden's own column, Pruden on Politics, was occasionally tinged with racial animus, too. In 2005, for instance, he lambasted the Senate for succumbing to "manufactured remorse" and passing a resolution of apology for blocking anti-lynching laws during the Jim Crow era.

Many Times insiders fear his return will stain the paper's image, especially in the current political climate. "Its a huge blow to the influence and credibility of the paper," says a senior Times official who worked closely with Pruden during his earlier reign. ...

One flashpoint was Arnaud de Borchgrave, a decorated former Newsweek correspondent who had served as the Times's editor in chief from 1985 to 1991. (He remains an editor at large). In mid 2011, Decker's staff discovered that the veteran journalist, who writes a weekly Times column, was lifting passages verbatim or almost verbatim from the work of other writers. Decker repeatedly alerted McDevitt and the rest of the executive team to the problem. In one particularly pointed email, he warned that de Borchgrave's "outright plagiarism" and "lack of respect for the most basic journalistic ethics" was "putting the reputation of The Washington Times brand and the individual professional careers of TWT journalists at risk." He added, "Action needs to be taken to protect this institution from further harm." Still, de Borchgrave was kept on. ...

From his new perch, Jackson quickly began altering the Times's political coverage. According to The Washington Post's Erik Wemple, at one point he demanded that the paper run a story about the Benghazi affair on page A1 every day. Times insiders

Sept. 3, 2012: Unification Church Leaders Vow to Complete Rev. Moon's Mission (The Washington Post)

QuoteThree former Times executives, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they fear reprisal from church leaders, said the paper has lost more than $2 billion since its founding in 1981 and never made a profit in a quarter or month.

Three other executives who remained loyal to Moon bought the Times back from Preston Moon, the Seattle-based son who has been at odds with his siblings, for $1 in 2010 and have sought to revive it as a conservative voice focused on political coverage.

Sept. 4, 2012: Sun Myung Moon's Death Leaves Conservative Newspaper at a Crossroads (US News)

Nov. 29, 2012: Washington Times Editor Demanded Daily A1 Benghazi Coverage (The Washington Post)

QuoteGrumblings started spilling from the Washington Times this month. New editor David Jackson, claimed the chatter, had demanded that Benghazi coverage be placed on Page A1 of the paper every day. Decisions on newspaper-article placement customarily take place on a day-to-day basis, based on the journalism at hand -- not via prospective dictate. "Totally arbitrary," spat a source who was forced to deal with the mandate.

Totally necessary, Jackson might well respond. The Washington Times editorial boss, after all, is proud of his directive. "I told them I wanted it on the front page every day. And until we get all the questions answered, I want us to be one of the news media [outlets] that will not blink on that story," says Jackson. "I make no apologies for that."

December 4, 2012: James R. Whelan, founding editor and publisher of the Washington Times, dies at 79 (The Washington Post)

QuoteJames R. Whelan, the founding editor and publisher of the Washington Times who became a fierce critic of the newspaper's Unification Church owners after his abrupt dismissal, died Dec. 1 at his home in Miami. He was 79. ...In public remarks after his ouster, Mr. Whelan said the paper was "firmly in the hands of top officials of the . . . Unification Church Movement" and that "a covenant of independence has been irreparably breached."

Sept. 6, 2010: Washington Times Struggles Amid Divisions of Family, Ideology, Finances (The Washington Post)

Quote...But Preston, who had been blessed by his father a decade earlier as the son who would lead the Unification movement, was furious about this division of the family empire and felt outmaneuvered by his siblings, according to church and Times officials who declined to be named because they were wary of offending the faith's leaders.

Through the spring and summer of this year, that fraternal rivalry has come perilously close to claiming as its victim the Times, which was once one of the nation's most prominent platforms for conservative writers and politicians but is now one of the most endangered newspapers in a troubled industry. Since 2008, Times circulation has tumbled from 87,000 daily copies to about 40,000; its sports and metro sections were shuttered; its three top executives were fired; and more than half the newsroom was laid off.

Since its founding, the paper has lost an estimated $2 billion, surviving on church subsidies. Last year, those payments dried up.

Now, the newspaper's future rests on a fragile deal that might return control to the "True Father," as the senior Moon is known in church circles. Moon, represented by a trio of recently fired Times executives -- president and publisher Thomas McDevitt, finance chief Keith Cooperrider and chairman Douglas M. Joo -- is negotiating to purchase the paper back from Preston for $1, according to an internal Times memo obtained by The Washington Post and first reported by U.S. News & World Report. Former and current Times employees say that under the buyback proposal, Moon and his top aides would also assume the paper's $8 million to $10 million in liabilities and debt. But Times board member Richard Wojcik said in an interview that completion of the deal "remains to be seen."

McDevitt, Joo and Cooperrider did not return calls seeking comment. A church spokesman declined to comment. A Times spokesman said Preston Moon would not comment for this article. Sam Dealey, the Times' executive editor, declined to comment. ...

But former and current Times officials still worry that the team Moon intends to put back in charge includes the same people who presided over the paper's financial crisis. They fear that Moon's children will kill or sell the paper once the founder dies.

"The only one who seems to care about the paper is the father," said a senior Times official who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of getting fired. "The children don't care. . . . The morale of the newsroom is dreadfully low. You feel like you're in a dying institution and the owners don't care about what they have and what the Washington Times is."

Nov. 15, 2010: Just Like Old Times at the Washington Times? (Washington City Paper)

QuoteFor almost 30 years, The Washington Times has devoted itself, so far as anyone inside or outside the paper could tell, to two main purposes: Carrying the banner of free-market conservative Republicans, preferably in outlandish and over-the-top style; and losing money, preferably in the same way.

The Times only ever existed in the first place because of the near-bottomless benevolence of Moon, a convicted tax cheat whose church controls a vast global empire of profitable operations. And as angry conservatives marched to the polls around the country, restoring GOP rule on Capitol Hill, the Unification Church marched back into the newspaper's offices, restoring Moon's hardline disciples to rule on New York Avenue NE. Tuesday's "sale" (to borrow the scare quotes that the paper used to use to refer to gay "marriage"), from Preston Moon, Moon's Harvard MBA-educated eldest son, to a Delaware-based limited liability corporation led by Joo, who ran the paper back in the early 1990s and is known as "Mr. Joo" in the newsroom, will keep the paper in business.

Sept. 7, 1982: 'INCHON,' AT LAST (The New York Times)

Oct. 2, 1982: Scott's World: 'Inchon,' Moonies and Spectres (UPI)

QuoteRarely has a relatively obscure movie been so costly or created as much controversy as 'Inchon,' a Korean War drama. In the past three years 'Inchon' has survived these controversies:

Its cost, $48 million.
The death of one of its stars, David Janssen, in 1980.
Its financing, partly by loans from the Unification Church.
The film's special advisor, Sun Myung Moon, the Korean savant of the moonies who is much embattled with the Internal Revenue Service and the target of parents claiming his church brainwashes their kids.
Picketing at its first showing in Washington, D.C., by anti-Moonie groups. ...

'Inchon' currently is in release more than two years after its completion. Its producer, Japanese-born Mitsuharu Ishii, is confident the picture will more than surpass its staggering cost. One reason for Ishii's confidence is the spectre of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, his boyhood hero and with whom Ishii says he remains in spiritual contact. To quote Ishii, 'He is behind me all the way.' ...

Ishii has personally pledged 50 percent of his producer's profits to veterans organizations in the 21 nations that came to the aid of South Korea under the United Nations resolution during the war. The profits may be a long time coming. Today a film must earn double its cost to break even. That means 'Inchon' must earn some $100 million at the box office, a feat accomplished by only a handful of films. ... To promote his film, Ishii has come up with the brilliant idea of a $1 million sweepstakes. To enter patrons need only pick up contest blanks at theaters playing 'Inchon.' First prize is a Rolls Royce with $100,000 in cash in the glove compartment. Other prizes include video recorders, TV sets and cameras. The drawing is scheduled for Dec. 31 in New York City.

Still, 'Inchon' opened weakly with $2.3 million in 1,291 theaters in Canada and the United States last weekend, doing almost as poorly as the infamous 'Heaven's Gate.' P.S. 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,' now in its third month, pulled in $3.2 million in fewer theaters -- without a door prize.

Sept. 2, 2012: Film Legacy Of Unification Church's Moon: One Of 1980s Worst Movie Bombs

QuoteThe 1982 critically panned fiasco was mostly financed by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon — though he denied it at the time but received screen credit as the "Special Advisor on Korean Matters". It did so poorly at the box office that it posted the largest financial loss of that year and was one of the biggest bombs of the 1980s. Robert Standard, associate producer of Inchon, was a member of the Unification Church of the United States. Moon had considered making films about the lives of Jesus or Elvis Presley. But in 1978, so the story goes, psychic Jeanne Dixon communicated with MacArthur's spirit who endorsed Inchon as the film subject. She also reportedly chose James Bond film director Terence Young (Dr. No, Thunderball, From Russia with Love) as Inchon's helmer. Not the best way to put together a winning formula for a film.

Feb. 7, 2017: Inchon: How Psychics, the Moonies, & A Latex-Covered Laurence Oliver Made The Worst War Movie In History (The Telegragh/The Internet Archive)

Feb. 8, 2022: Raspberry Picking, Inchon (Alternate Ending)

QuoteIt's a simple story, really: God, like he does, told Ishii and Moon to make a movie. They considered making a biopic of Jesus, or a biopic of Elvis, before God specified that he wanted a movie about General Douglas MacArthur, hero of World War II and the early part of the Korean War. Just to confirm that they were on the right path, Ishii and Moon consulted psychic Jeanne Dixon, who secured them MacArthur's endorsement from the spirit realm. 

Ishii and Moon then set about assembling an all-star team to help them bring God's plan to fruition. Dixon helped them choose Terence Young, acclaimed director of early Bond films and Audrey Hepburn vehicles, to direct the film. Robin Moore, hyperpatriotic author of The Green Berets and The French Connection, was commissioned to write the screenplay. Ten-time Best Original Score Oscar nominee Jerry Goldsmith was brought onboard for music.  Richard "Shaft" Roundtree and Jacqueline "Murder on the Orient Express" Bisset signed on in supporting roles. And finally, as the biggest plume in a very feathery cap, they coaxed Sir Laurence Olivier Himself into the lead role of General MacArthur with the promise of, to borrow Olivier's own famous words, "money, dear boy."

So, an overlong rah-rah-America war epic, directed by Very Prestigious Director, starring Extremely Prestigious Actor, playing Much Admired Historical Figure, with music by World Renowned Film Composer to the tune of A Whole Heckuva Lot of Dollars. It won forty-seven Oscars, right?

Wrong. Ishii and Moon went to extraordinary lengths to hide Moon's involvement in the film, including paying people in literal briefcases full of cash. But one can only hide the source of millions of dollars for so long, especially when that source insists on leading the promotional campaign for the film, and when said promotional campaign hinges on the ghostly endorsement from Douglas MacArthur. Yes, they actually promoted the movie by telling people that Douglas MacArthur had given it his blessing from beyond the grave. ...

2024: Inchon: The Notorious Flop Funded by a Cult & Endorsed By The Spirit Realm (Far Out Magazine)

QuoteMoon funnelled $30million of his own—or the Unification Church's—money into the film, with additional funding coming from the associate producer, wealthy benefactor, and church member Robert Standard. That being said, one major stumbling block in retelling the story of how Douglas MacArthur and the United States armed forces staged their assault during the titular battle hinged on the approval of its subject.

The downside was that MacArthur had passed away in 1964, but Moon would not be deterred. To get the OK from those on the other side of the mortal plane, famed psychic and astrologer Jeane Dixon was asked to communicate with the netherworld to make sure the former general was fine with a pivotal moment in his life and career being turned into a major motion picture.

Fortunately, not only did MacArthur endorse Inchon from the spirit world, but he also personally recommended Dr. No, Thunderball, and From Russia with Love director Terence Young as the ideal person to wield the megaphone, a decision both of them presumably ended up regretting.

Oct. 19, 2025: Revisiting 'Inchon,' Hollywood's Korean War Gamble (Matt VanVolkenburg for The Korea Times)

QuoteIn mid-1979, Paul Courtright and Ben Bryan were Peace Corps volunteers working on tuberculosis and leprosy, respectively, who had arrived in Korea six months earlier. As Bryan told The Korea Times, "Our group was gathered in Seoul for training. I think it was Paul who mentioned to us that there was a movie being filmed somewhere in the area and extras were needed." ...

As Courtright remembered, "No one gave us any information about how the clothes should look or how we should carry the rifle, let alone shoot it. We stood around not knowing what to do, without any direction." This was because "no one seemed to be in charge. Different people were giving different instructions — people were being told to go here, do this, go there, do that." ...

Bryan remembered a rather conspicuous omission from those in charge: "We weren't told that there would be huge explosions taking place near and around us. I recall initially freaking out as several explosions went off around me, but kept running likely out of pure panic as I was firing my rifle. After about two shots, my rifle jammed, so I pretended to be shooting."...

Though production staff denied it during filming, the film had been conceived of and financed by Rev. Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church. It went wildly over budget and the full, 140-minute version of the film was only shown once, at a special screening in Washington, D.C. Though then-President Ronald Reagan enjoyed the film, when it was released in September 1982, with 35 minutes cut, it was a critical and box office failure. As a result, it lost over $44 million, making it one of the biggest flops in film history.

Nov. 13: Yamagami Mother keeps Faith in UC, Apologizes For Son (The Chosun Daily)

Nov. 14: Mother of Abe Shooter Apologizes, Still Follows Unification Church; Accused Avoids Eye Contact (The Japan News)

QuoteAccording to the mother's testimony, her husband committed suicide in 1984. In August 1991, she joined the organization. At that time, her eldest son — the defendant's older brother — had lost sight in one eye, and the defendant was in elementary school.

The mother said she joined the religion after a young woman visited her home and asked, "Is your family doing well?" The mother told the woman about her eldest son and received an invitation to a Unification Church facility.

The mother said she donated ¥20 million to the group immediately after joining. "[I was] deeply troubled by my husband's suicide and my eldest son's surgery," she explained. About six months later, she donated another ¥30 million. "My sick eldest son was a major factor," she said, adding that she believed the donations would save him.

According to her testimony, the source of the total ¥50 million was a life insurance payout after her husband's death. She also said that she sold property and other items following the death of the defendant's grandfather in 1998 and donated about another ¥40 million. She is said to have donated ¥100 million in total.

She told the court that she bought paintings from the group for about ¥700,000 to ¥1 million each and a pot for about ¥700,000. She also took a trip to South Korea, where the Church's headquarters are located, leaving the defendant, who was a minor back then, and his older brother at home.

When the defense attorney pointed out that the timing of the defendant's enrollment in school coincided with the donations, the mother said, "I thought that donating was more important than [education]."

Nov. 14: Biggest Crisis Yet For Head of Former Unification Church (NHK Japan/ Video)

Nov. 15: Unification Church in Japan to Pay 19.7 Billion Won to Victims of Large Donations"Includes South Korean Residents (Asia Business Daily)

QuoteThe "Family Federation Victims' Legal Team," which has been supporting individuals harmed by large donations and other practices of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church, hereinafter referred to as the "Family Federation") in Japan, announced on November 14 that, as a result of civil mediation, the organization has agreed to pay approximately 2.1 billion yen (about 19.7 billion won) in damages to 132 claimants. Among the victims are residents of South Korea....

Attorney Susumu Murakoshi, a member of the legal team, commented on the organization's change in attitude-having previously refused civil mediation-by saying, "Now that the dissolution order feels more realistic, they may be seeking a way to prolong their existence," and added, "The number of victims who have actually resolved their issues remains extremely small."

Nov. 19: Even after Abe's death, suspect's mother stays faithful to Unification Church (Japan Times)

QuoteThe mother of Tetsuya Yamagami, who is standing trial in connection with the 2022 killing of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, told a court she feels guilty for her son's actions, saying that she herself "is the perpetrator," media outlets have reported.
Despite this, the mother, who appeared at the Nara District Court as a defense witness on Tuesday, said she wants to keep her faith in the Unification Church, a controversial religious group.

The church's influence on her family has become a focal point of the murder trial, as the defense hopes to portray Yamagami as a victim of child abuse as part of efforts to seek leniency....

The mother, who joined the group in 1991, made donations of over ¥100 million, including money the family received as insurance payouts after her husband's suicide, and was eventually declared bankrupt. Yamagami has told investigators he long held a grudge against the church and targeted Abe after learning that the politician contributed a video message to a church-affiliated group.

The mother has also admitted that, when the defendant attempted suicide in 2005 while serving with the Maritime Self-Defense Force, she was in South Korea, where the religious group is based. She did not head back to Japan immediately upon learning about the attempted suicide, however, because she "heard a voice from God not to go back," according to her reported testimony.

After that incident, Yamagami's uncle protested the church and had ¥50 million of the donated money returned, the mother said. While part of that money was paid to Yamagami, the largest portion was spent on the elder brother of the defendant, who had a severe illness and later died by suicide.

Jan. 4, 2010: Washington Times Lashes Back at Former Editor (Washington City Paper)

QuoteLast week, the Washington Times laid off a large chunk of its newsroom, essentially junking its sports and Metro sections in favor of a more focused product. The new direction that the paper is unfurling—-whatever it is—-focuses on throwing less content on the street in hopes of reviving its business model.

The Washington Times, in other words, could be nearing its end. That's a bad thing not only for Washington Times employees and conservative journalism, but also for those who write about the paper. Every effort must be made to preserve what has become one of America's greatest hatcheries of workplace weirdness. When it comes to internal strife, no one does it like the Washington Times.

Washington Times weirdness takes on a starring role in the lawsuit filed in December by former Washington Times Editorial Page Editor Richard Miniter. In his complaint, Miniter made a number of damning claims against the paper, including the charge that he was essentially required to trek to Manhattan for a "peace festival" and a religious service of the Washington Times-connected Unification Church.

That's good and weird, for sure. But if you dig into the Miniter complaint, and the response that the Washington Times filed on Dec. 30, there's plenty more. ...

Jan. 29, 2010: The Washington Times Has a Long Record of Hyped Stories, Shoddy Reporting & Failure to Correct Errors (SPLC)

April 26, 2010: Washington Times Publisher Ousted After Clashing With Editor (The Washington Post)

QuoteThe president of the Washington Times said Sunday that he had been fired by a board of directors that "has no experience in the newspaper business" after clashing with an editor whose behavior has "had a detrimental effect on the company."

Jonathan Slevin said in a letter to the staff that it was "particularly upsetting" that the paper's new editor, Sam Dealey, had leaked information about his ouster, "since I had hired this young man with the intention of grooming him in his first opportunity to be an editor."

Dealey said in an interview that "it's no secret in the newsroom that Jonathan had an expansive view of his role as publisher and his view didn't sit well with the editor." He declined to respond to specific allegations, saying he wished Slevin well and would concentrate on putting out the newspaper.

The acrimonious departure of Slevin, who also held the title of publisher, is the latest problem at a paper that in recent months has fired three top executives, accepted the resignation of its top two editors, been sued by its former editorial page editor and laid off half its staff. Politico reported on Slevin's departure Friday, and Times spokesman Don Meyer denied the story. Meyer said Sunday that he had been given inaccurate information.

Quote"It's the Fox News of the print world," says Gene Grabowski, who in 1988 became one of a number of Times reporters to resign in protest of the paper's flouting of journalistic ethics.

May 1, 2010: Unification Church Will Put Washington Times Up For Sale (The Washington Post)

QuoteThe finances are so tight that the newspaper hasn't paid some of its bills or tended to basic maintenance issues -- such as hiring an exterminator to deal with mice and snakes sneaking into the building on New York Avenue in Northeast.

"The feeling everyone feels is that it's a totally rudderless ship," said Julia Duin, the paper's longtime religion reporter. "Nobody knows who's running it. Is it the board of directors? We don't know. There was a three-foot-long black snake in the main conference room the other day. We have snakes in the newsroom -- the real live variety, at least. One of the security people gallantly removed it."

June 3, 2010: Washington Times Reporter Who Spoke Out About The Paper Is Dismissed (The Washington Post)

QuoteA month ago, Julia Duin, for 14 years a reporter at the Unification Church-backed Washington Times, did something journalists might admire, but their bosses often abhor. She spoke out about her employer, in print, on the record. In a Washington Post article on the potential sale of the Times, Duin said the paper felt like a "rudderless ship" and reported that a black snake -- "the real live variety" -- had turned up in the newsroom.

Duin, 54, said she was dismissed Tuesday, a decision she believes came in retaliation for her published comments. To make matters more painful, Duin was given the news while her 5-year-old daughter Olivia was visiting the newsroom. On top of that, Duin had to pack up and remove her belongings while on crutches, the result of a recent foot injury. Don Meyer, a spokesman for the Times, did not return a call seeking comment.

June 8, 2010: Helen Thomas: Bitter Dnd For 'Dean' of Press Corps (BBC News)

QuoteThomas was a trailblazer: the first female president of the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA), the first female officer of the National Press Club and the only female print journalist to travel with President Richard Nixon on his first trip to China.

The unofficial dean of the White House press corps, Thomas worked for United Press International (UPI) for 57 years.

She left UPI after it was bought out by a company owned by Reverend Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church, whose adherents are known colloquially as Moonies. She described the acquisition as a "bridge too far" and soon took up her most recent position as a columnist for Hearst Newspapers.

Aug. 24, 2010: New Life for Washington Times (Politico)

QuoteAccording to a leaked memo from the Unification Church treasurer, the subsidy that supported The Washington Times stopped "abruptly and completely" in July of 2009. Since 2002, the paper has shrunk from 225 to about 70 people, cut its sports and metro sections, and reduced its circulation. The paper stopped reporting its circulation to the Audit Bureau of Circulation in 2008, and earlier this month, was moved back a row in the White House briefing room.

Last autumn, the Rev. Moon transferred control of day-to-day operations among some of his sons, including Preston, the eldest, who received The Washington Times, and Sean, the youngest, who was put in charge of the religious mission. The succession plan sparked a feud between Preston and what several sources said was much of the rest of the family.

In November, three longtime executives at the paper — Washington Times publisher Thomas McDevitt, chief financial officer Keith Cooperrider, and chairman Doug Moon Joo — were fired, TPM reported.

Aug. 25, 2010: Rev. Sun Myung Moon Said To Be Considering Buying Back Washington Times (The Washington Times)

QuoteJust four years after giving the Washington Times to his eldest son, the Unification Church's leader, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, is considering paying millions of dollars to buy back the conservative newspaper he founded in 1982, according to former Times staffers with knowledge of the negotiations.

Moon wants to buy the Times back from his son Preston Moon, who has threatened to shut down the foundering broadsheet altogether, said Charles Sutherland, the Times's former director of development and promotions, who was laid off in May.

Times sources said Moon, who is 90, has tapped Dong Moon Joo, the former Times chairman who was ousted last year by Preston Moon, to purchase and run the paper. Messages left at Joo's home and with his attorney were not returned Tuesday. ...

The newspaper's editor, Sam Dealey, declined to comment. Church spokesman Joshua Cotter did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Some current and former Times staffers hope Moon and Joo can save the paper, but they also worry that Preston Moon will be reluctant to sell to Joo, whom he pushed out in late 2009.

Other sources said Joo may end up teaming up with at least two other former Times executives forced out by Preston Moon -- ex-publisher and president Thomas McDevitt and former finance chief Keith Cooperrider.

Sutherland said that Preston and Joo "don't like each other at all. It's a question of ego. If Joo ends up with the paper, it's a slap in the face to Preston."

Dec. 27, 2006: The GOP's $3 Billion Propaganda Organ: Sun Myung-moon's Washington Times (Robert Parry - The World Traveller/Consortium News)
Note to Self: Very long and very detailed - explore further and add quotes to related threads - especially regarding early sex rituals and Sam Park, Moon's son from an affair (not the right word given the power differential between God and believer), but anyway, Han Hak-ja is not his mother.

Quotehe American Right achieved its political dominance in Washington over the past quarter century with the help of more than $3 billion spent by Korean cult leader Sun Myung Moon on a daily propaganda organ, the Washington Times, according to a 21-year veteran of the newspaper.

George Archibald, who describes himself "as the first reporter hired at the Washington Times outside the founding group" and author of a commemorative book on the Times' first two decades, has now joined a long line of disillusioned conservative writers who departed and warned the public about extremism within the newspaper.

In an Internet essay on recent turmoil inside the Times, Archibald also confirmed claims by some former Moon insiders that the cult leader has continued to pour in $100 million a year or more to keep the newspaper afloat. Archibald put the price tag for the newspaper's first 24 years at "more than $3 billion of cash."

At the newspaper's tenth anniversary, Moon announced that he had spent $1 billion on the Times - or $100 million a year - but newspaper officials and some Moon followers have since tried to low-ball Moon's subsidies in public comments by claiming they had declined to about $35 million a year.

The figure from Archibald and other defectors from Moon's operation is about three times higher than the $35 million annual figure.

The apparent goal of downplaying Moon's subsidy has been to quiet concerns that Moon was funneling vast sums of illicit money into the United States to influence the American political process in ways favorable to right-wing leaders - and possibly criminal cartels - around the world.

Though best known as the founder of the Unification Church, Moon, now 86, has long worked with right-wing political forces linked to organized crime and international drug smuggling, including the Japanese yakuza gangs and South American cocaine traffickers.

Moon insiders, including his former daughter-in-law Nansook Hong, also have described Moon's system for laundering cash into the United States and then funneling much of it into his businesses and influence-buying apparatus, led by the Washington Times.
The Times, in turn, has targeted American politicians of the center and left with journalistic attacks - sometimes questioning their sanity, as happened with Democratic presidential nominees Michael Dukakis and Al Gore. ...

March 1, 2008: Washington Times Cleans Out Extremists (SPL Center)

QuoteSolomon's appointment may mark the end of a tumultuous period for the hard-right Times, which included a spate of extremely bad press such as "Hell of a Times," a devastating exposé of racism and sexism at the paper that was published in The Nation in October 2006. The negative coverage apparently took its toll on newsroom morale. Several prominent staffers — including Washington insider Tony Blankley, the newspaper's editorial page editor and former press secretary for then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), and FOX News contributor Bill Sammon — have left the organization in the past year. ...

But Coombs, whose bigotry has been detailed in the Intelligence Report and who has been accused of racism by former Times employees, also announced his retirement in January.

Coombs' wife, Marian, has written extremist material for white supremacist publications, and Coombs has actually published several of her stories in the Times. As revealed by the Report in 2005, some of those stories relied on explicitly racist sources.

One of Coombs' favorite editors, Robert Stacy McCain, is a foe of interracial marriage and a former member of the white supremacist League of the South. (McCain resigned from the Times a few days after Solomon's hire was announced.) Coombs' personal website was created and registered by George McDaniel, who has worked for and been published by the racist American Renaissance journal. Possibly even more damaging were March 2007 allegations that Marian Coombs had associated with neo-Nazi leader Bill White, whose website is filled with attacks on Jews and blacks.

During Pruden and Coombs' tenure, the Times had on its staff other extremists besides McCain. Sam Francis, who would serve as editor in the late 1990s and early 2000s for the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens, was the paper's deputy editorial page editor from 1987 to 1991 and then a columnist until 1995. Francis was fired that year after conservative author Dinesh D'Souza wrote about racist remarks Francis had made at a 1994 American Renaissance conference.

Even so, when Francis died in 2005, the Times wrote a glowing obituary. The article completely omitted Francis' 1995 firing from the Times and his prolific writings for white supremacist publications, describing him instead as "a leading voice of traditional conservatism."

Nov. 18, 2009: Washington Times Editor Richard Miniter Files Discrimination Claim (The Washington Post)

QuoteThe former editorial page editor of the Washington Times has filed a discrimination complaint against the paper, saying he was "coerced" into attending a Unification Church religious ceremony that culminated in a mass wedding conducted by the church's leader, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

Richard Miniter, who was also vice president of opinion, made the claim in a filing Tuesday with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that also disclosed he was fired last month. He said in an interview that he "was made to feel there was no choice" but to attend the ceremony if he wanted to keep his job, and that executives "gave me examples of people whose careers at the Times had grown after they converted" to the Unification Church. A Times spokesman said the paper would not comment. ...

In May, the complaint says, Miniter refused to sign a "fraudulent statement" at the request of a Times vice president. As a result, the Times launched a "background investigation" and "questioned everyone who worked for me" but turned up nothing negative, the filing says. Miniter elaborated in an interview that the statement involved certifying his Arlington County address for a child of the vice president, who had moved to Maryland, so the child would be eligible to remain at an Arlington school.

The next month, Miniter alleges, the Times conducted a second investigation after he joked to his deputy about Moon's long, flowing garb in a church brochure. That probe was never concluded, Miniter said, and in July the company asked him to work from home. He said he was never given a reason for his termination.

Nov. 20, 2009 Complaint Adds To Tumult At Washington Times (NPR)

QuoteTensions between the owners of newspapers and the journalists who run their newsrooms are nothing new. At the Washington Times, though, tension has become tumult this month. Top executives have been fired, the executive editor resigned, and here's a twist: The Washington Times is owned by senior officials of the Unification Church, and a former editor is alleging that he was forced out because he mocked the church. ...

Mr. Richard Miniter (Former Editorial Page Writer, Washington Times): "I really didn't want to attend a religious service for a religion I wasn't participating in, and I wasn't covering it as a journalist." ...

Miniter says he was badgers by Times executives when he ducked out for longer than 10 minutes to get a cup of coffee. ...

Miniter soon after became editorial page editor and a corporate vice president but says in June, he made the mistake of joking about the Unification Church to a co-worker. He says he was investigated, forced to work from home and ultimately fired. This week, Miniter filed a religious discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, though he cites other grounds, as well.

Dec. 3, 2009: The Washington Times Is Laying Off 40 Percent Of Its Staff (The Washington Post)

QuoteThe Washington Times, which gained a strong foothold in a politically obsessed city as a conservative alternative to much of the mainstream media, is about to become a drastically smaller newspaper. Nearly three decades after its founding by officials of the Unification Church, the Times said Wednesday it is laying off at least 40 percent of its staff and shifting mainly to free distribution. ...

Many on the 370-person staff had braced for bad news after the company dismissed three top executives and Solomon resigned last month, but were nonetheless stunned by the depth of the reductions. Slevin, who was named acting president and publisher in the shakeup, said he did not know why Solomon had quit, calling it a "surprise" that came before the current cutbacks were decided. Slevin also said there is no search for a Solomon successor and that his job may not be filled under a reorganization.

The Unification Church, which is suffering its own financial strains, had served notice that its subsidy to the Times would have to be curtailed. In a recent affidavit, Miniter said the church provides $40 million of the paper's annual $70 million budget.

Dec. 8, 2009: Ex-Washington Times Editor Sues Paper (Courthouse News Service)

QuoteThe former opinion editor at The Washington Times says executives pressured him to attend religious services, then fired him for refusing to sign bogus paperwork. Richard Miniter says he was persuaded to attend a mass wedding in New York City in January hosted by the Unification Church. The church is led by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who founded the paper in 1982 and who claims to be the Messiah.

Miniter, who was working with the paper as a consultant, says he was told by then-publisher Thomas McDevitt that "it would be 'good'" for him to make the trip to New York to attend the religious services. "Miniter took this to mean that if he didn't go, it would count negatively against his prospects at The Washington Times and of being offered permanent executive employment there," according to the lawsuit filed in District Court in Washington, D.C.

Miniter says he felt "extremely uncomfortable" while attending the event, but says he "was made to feel as if he had no choice." He says he was hired as editorial page editor the next month. Soon after starting, however, Miniter had heart-related problems, and indicated he'd need time off for doctor's appointments.

He says that's when Sonya Jenkins, the paper's vice president of human resources, began pressuring him to sign a document claiming that her son lived at his house so that the boy could continue going to school in Arlington, Va., after his family moved to Maryland. Minister says he refused, and that Jenkins retaliated by investigating him.

Miniter says the paper then tried to get him to sign a new contract that required him to find advertisers for the paper. He says he was ultimately fired for refusing to sign the new contract.

Dec. 31, 2009: A Newspaper's Surreal Dismantling (Politico)

QuoteCalled together in a staff meeting, every employee was given an envelope whether the employee was staying or going, along with a second paper that ironically listed some job openings for the relaunched paper.

By the time all the envelopes were opened, the newspaper no longer had any senior editors. "Monday begins a new chapter in the history of The Washington Times as a 21st-century multimedia enterprise," a press release had trumpeted.

Now that enterprise won't even have anyone in charge.

John Solomon, the editor brought in from the Post with what he thought was a mandate to make the Times more respectable, disappeared without comment weeks ago, leaving senior editors — many of whom he had hired — largely in the dark, amid a complete overhaul of management and far-reaching staff cuts. By the end of Wednesday, managing editors David Jones (print) and Jeffrey Birnbaum (digital), along with assistant managing editor Barbara Slavin, no longer had their jobs.

Slavin, hired in 2008 from USA Today to be in charge of foreign news, told POLITICO that she was proud of the work they'd done in a short period, and lamented the loss of "many good people who have put in a lot of hard work over the years."

And Slavin echoed a view of many of those departing, as well as those staying: "None of us understand what the strategy is."