Hyun Jin Preston Moon (born 25 May 1969) is a South Korean social entrepreneur, founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation, and later the

Family Peace Association The Family Peace Association was inaugurated on December 2, 2017, in Seoul, South Korea, where it announced its mission: "To enlighten humanity by uplifting their spiritual consciousness through universal principles and values rooted in God-centere ...

. His father,

Sun Myung Moon Sun Myung Moon (; born Yong Myung Moon; 6 January 1920 – 3 September 2012) was a Korean religious leader, also known for his business ventures and support for conservative political causes. A messiah claimant, he was the founder of the Unif ...

, was the founder of the

Unification movement The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists, or "Moonies". It was officially founded on 1 May 1954 under the name Holy Spi ...

, an international

new religious movement A new religious movement (NRM), also known as alternative spirituality or a new religion, is a religious or spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in origin or th ...

Early life and education

Born in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, he moved to the United States at a young age and graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, where he was a history major, and

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

with an

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as account ...

in 1998. Moon is a humanitarian and social entrepreneur whose peacebuilding initiatives emphasize universal principles and values shared by the world's major religious and cultural traditions.

Political positions

Korean unification

Moon has been involved in the campaign for Korean unification for a decade. In 2014, Moon wrote the book ''Korean Dream: A Vision for a Unified Korea''. The book calls for greater public engagement with the unification issue, especially led by S. Korean civil society organizations working in partnership with government. He urged the S. Korean government to make unification its national agenda to lead global opinion, especially with heightened interest surrounding North's increased nuclear threats. Moon's approach to unification appeals to a shared historic, 5,000-year Korean identity, and particularly the ancient Korean ethic named "

Hongik Ingan Hongik Ingan () is the official educational motto of South Korea. The phrase can be translated to English as "To broadly benefit the human world". Hongik Ingan is the founding idea of Gojoseon and is known as the first concept founded by Dangun ...

," which means "to broadly benefit humanity." He states that with Hongik Ingan as the guiding vision, "Unification will set the moral precedent for aligning with our historic heritage and providential destiny... to shine the light of hope opening the path for all people in a world mired in conflict." Moon described his book as shifting the focus from technical questions of process to clarifying the end goal of unification. "I ask what type of new nation should Koreans aspire to establish, and what shared vision and enduring principles should guide them towards it," Moon wrote. The Korean Culture and Arts Publications recognized ''Korean Dream: A Vision for a Unified Korea'' as the 2014 "Book of the Year" in the society category. An English version with a foreword by

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...

founder

Edwin Feulner Edwin John Feulner Jr. (born August 12, 1941) is a former think tank executive who founded the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation and served as its president from 1977 to 2013 and again from 2017 to 2018. Feulner's positions have in ...

was published in December 2016. The book was included in the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency's 2018 Professional Reading List under the "Global Analysis" category. Moon founded Action for Korea United, an alliance currently consisting of over 800 Korean civic groups, in 2012. In 2015 the coalition launched the One Korea Global Campaign committee to garner global support for Korean Unification through the medium of popular culture, especially K-pop. They have held two 'One K Concerts' towards that aim, in Seoul, Korea and Manila, Philippines, featuring well-known artists.

New models of development

Moon has advocated the need for new development models that bring material prosperity without compromising spiritual and moral traditions, including traditional family values. He has advocated the Korean development model

Saemaul Undong The Saemaul Undong, also known as the New Community Movement, New Village Movement, Saemaul Movement or Saema'eul Movement, was a political initiative launched on April22, 1970 by South Korean president Park Chung-hee to modernize the rural So ...

of the 1970s for encouraging self-reliance and promoting high standards of education to strengthen human capital. He has encouraged Korean industry leaders to invest in development projects in Paraguay, noting the developing nation's potential to become a hub for industrialization, distribution and service fields in South America.

Economic reform

Moon has pointed out the weaknesses of the South Korean economy since 2014. He presented a plan for economic reform to S. Korean business and government heads in preparation for peninsular unification, and urged South Korean financial institutions and government policy-makers to allow everyday entrepreneurs more access to capital to stimulate the economy and create job opportunities for Koreans of both North and South. Moon also advocated for economic reform in the Philippines, calling for less government interference in the marketplace, saying the country could play a key role to economically lead

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

and promote peace and stability. Moon is a businessman, holding a Master of Business administration from Harvard University. He is chairman of News World Communications, Inc.

Youth leadership

Moon has spoken at various venues and programs encouraging youth leadership as a significant resource to benefit the greater society by challenging conventional norms with fresh perspectives and passion. The Global Peace Foundation annually co-organizes the Global Youth Summit in the Philippines to engage and inspire young people in addressing the world's persistent problems.

Ventures

Global Peace Foundation

Moon founded the Global Peace Foundation in 2009 and is active as its chairman.Founder and Chairman, Global Peace Foundation
Founder and Chairman, Global Peace Foundation
The Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization with a stated mission to promote "an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision that all humanity is 'One Family under God'." The Foundation's programs aim to facilitate intercultural and interreligious cooperation, strengthen families and communities, and foster a culture of service and peace. Moon asserts that peace efforts require effective approaches to preventing and resolving conflicts rooted in universal principles and values and a vision that can guide the formation of free and prosperous civil societies.

Service For Peace

Moon founded Service For Peace in 2001. Service For Peace is an international service and educational non-government organization recognized by the United Nations.UN list of DPI's
/ref> Service For Peace involves volunteers in ongoing community development programs throughout the world. Their programs are designed to further the growth and development of individuals and communities through the shared experience of voluntary service.

Personal life

Moon regularly competed in

equestrianism Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, Driving (horse), driving, and Equestrian vaulting, vaulting ...

from a young age. He went on to become a two-time competitor at the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

as part of the South Korean team, competing in

Seoul 1988 The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

and

Barcelona 1992 The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Olympics.

Family

The Moon family has pursued Korean Unification for 3 generations. Hyun Jin Preston Moon's great-uncle was a prominent member of the Korean anti-colonial movement, and helped draft the

Korean Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the 33 ethnic representatives meeting at Taehwagwan, the restaurant located in Insa-dong, Jongno District, Seoul on March 1, 1919, after World War I, which announced that Korea would no ...

. His father,

, founder of the

Unification Church The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists, or "Moonies". It was officially founded on 1 May 1954 under the name Holy Spi ...

was at the forefront of engagement with North Korea starting in 1991.Kim, Hyo-Jin
"Activist Promotes Global Campaign for Reunification."
The Korea Times, 5 March 2017

References

External links

Official website of Hyun Jin Preston Moon

Official website of Global Peace Foundation

Official landing page of Korean Dream: A Vision for a Unified Korea

Official website for Service For Peace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moon, Hyun Jin 1969 births Living people Equestrians at the 1988 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1992 Summer Olympics Harvard Business School alumni Olympic equestrians of South Korea South Korean male equestrians Social entrepreneurs Global Leadership Council Columbia University alumni