Youngjoon Park, Seongho Cho
September 9, 2012
United States, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Kenya, Russia..... The mourners from the nation and abroad continued to line up. Despite of different nationalities, it was all same to mourn for Seonghwa of Rev. Sun Myung Moon. On 7th, it was almost 15,000 people who visited 'Cheong pyeong shrine' of unification church in Seolak-myun, Gapyung-gun, Kyunggi-do where the mortuary of Rev. Moon is placed. They didn't bother about waiting long hours for just one minute or so of paying respect.
On 7th, the second day of 'Universal Seonghwa Ceremony of Sun Myung Moon, the True Parents of Heaven, Earth, and Humankind', the whole area of Cheongshim Peace World Center, where the mortuary of Rev. Moon is placed in Songsan-ri, Seolak-myun, Gapyung-gun, Kyunggi-do, is crowded with thousands of visitors. The visitors did not bother about waiting long hours for just one minute or so of paying respect.Gapyung = reporter Jeongho Huh.
Continuous memorial fervor from whole world
Although it is a beginning of visit, hundreds of visitors from 10 nations, United States, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Kenya, Israel, United Kingdom and more continued to come.
Unification church officials said "It seems that the foreign visitors expected to be ten thousands will be converged on 2-3 days before the day of 'Universal Seonghwa Ceremony of Sun Myung Moon, the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind'" and "we try to prepare everything such as room and board to receive them."
Messages of condolences from the heads of various countries, Ochirbat, the first president of Mongol and Paramananda jha, the vice president of Nepal, were followed one after another, Soccer emperor Pele said on his message "I got to know Rev. Moon deeply when I joined in a peace campaign in Korea." and "I was very sad when I heard of his death".
The nation's personages of various field continued visiting. Seongyup Yoo (Democratic United Party), Dongho Lee, the former Minister of Finance, Dongseok Kang, the head of organizing committee of Yeosu EXPO, Joong-gun Cho, the advisor of Hanjin Group, Ilsik Hong, the former president of Korea University, Jongyeol Park, the head of Kacheon University, Pyunghwan Suh, the former DSC commander, Mongkyu Cheong, the president of Korean Professional Football League (the chairman of Hyundai Development Company) visited the mortuary to express their condolences.
Mr. Kang recollected "Rev. Moon emphasized on the importance of the ocean long ago so that he wrote in his autobiography, 'The ocean is the future of humankind.'" and "he visited personally the site of EXPO before opening the Yeosu EXPO and encouraged us after looking through entire facilities on the observation platform."
Then, he continued to say "Due to Rev. Moon's interest and support, we could finish the EXPO program of 93 days without any big obstacles." and "I hope that the will of a great man of Korea will be inherited to next generation and contribute on developing the country continuously."
Among the celebrities, actor Sangsoon Kim, Seok Hyun, Yanghong Shim and comedian Iljip Bae, Singer Gukhwan Kim and Jayeon Lee visited the mortuary. Mr. Yanghong Shim recollected "Rev. Moon used to like music and comment about art very frankly, so he had uncommon understandings about culture and art." and said "Getting all different religions together was the great work of Rev. Moon."
"Stop weeping and cheer up again."
As going into second day of official visit, the atmosphere of the mortuary became more calm. According to the principle of unification church to carry out the seonghwa ceremony as a festival not a simple funeral, the mourners seemed to relieve their grief a little. Some talked in groups and took pictures together. Some took a walk with families.
Sunhak Kim(39) who visited the mortuary early in the morning said "It is a great sorrow that I cannot see Rev. Moon again, but I will continue his will with a new faith." and "I will remember his word to live for sake of others."
Unification church officials said "Rev. Moon said during his lifetime 'Death is not an end as death, but it is another beginning of going to an eternal world. The day is a joyful day not a sad or sorrowful day.'" and "it seems that members try to mitigate their sorrow as obeying his word."
On 7th, mourners continued to come in the mortuary of Rev. Moon placed in Cheongshim Peace World Center in Songsan-ri, Seolak-myun, Gapyung-gun, Kyunggi-do. From the left, Ilsik Hong, the former president of Korea University, Dongsuk Kang, the head of organizing committee of Yeosu EXPO, Mongkyu Cheong, the president of Korean Professional Football League (the chairman of Hyndai Development Company), actor Yanghong Shim and Sangsoon Kim(right). Gapyung = Jaewon Kim, reporter of Sports World
Lilies and roses ran out as the memorial fervor went up
The mourners offer a lily or a rose on the mortuary. The number of flowers used has been over 30,000 during 6th and 7th, two days since the official visit were started. Kwon(45) who provides the flowers for the seonghwa ceremony confessed "in the nation's big three flower market, Yangjaedong, Kyungboosun, Honamsun, lilies are all used up." and "it is a super-emergency to secure the flowers."
Unification church officials said "We expected around 100,000 of lilies and roses, but considering of surging mourners, it seems that we have to secure 150,000 flowers." and "it is not easy to get flowers."
Gapyung = reporters Youngjoon Park, Seongho Cho