The Korea Herald

피터빈트

Unification Church founder on life support

By Korea Herald

Published : Aug. 31, 2012 - 19:59

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Rev. Moon Sun-myung, founder of the Unification Church, has gone into critical organ failure and is on life support, the church said in a statement on Friday.

Moon will be moved to a medical center operated by the church, located east of Seoul in a place the church considers sacred, as doctors say his illness is “irreversible.”

Moon, 92 was hospitalized at the intensive care unit of St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul two weeks ago with complications from pneumonia. 

Rev. Moon Sun-myung

Rev. Moon Sun-myung

The reverend’s condition, had appeared to be improving for a few days after he was taken into the hospital. But his doctors said there is no way to improve his condition.

The church’s international vice-president Seuk Joon-ho said in the statement that Moon’s kidneys had stopped working, and that his liver function was fast deteriorating.

Moon is already on life support and can no longer sustain life without the help of medical machines.

Moon founded the Unification Church in Korea in 1952 and has built it into a worldwide religious organization claiming up to 7 million believers.

It is famed for mass weddings, which it has trumpeted as “dedicated to the creation of a peaceful world beyond borders and races.”

Moon picked spouses and presided over the ceremonies. The followers of the church call Moon “True Father” because they believe that he is the “one and only messiah in human history.”

Born in Jeongju, North Pyeongan Province in North Korea in 1920, Moon has carried out activities for the reunification of Korea and democracy and freedom across the world.

Moon is also a conservative media mogul. His church runs the U.S.-based Washington Times and the Segye Times in Korea.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)