Mass wedding, messier truths: Moonies say ‘I do’ amid cult claims and Japan crackdown
Published By admin with Comments 0
GAPYEONG (South Korea), April 23 — They’ve been called a cult, accused of coercive fundraising, and legally disbanded in Japan. But in a mountainous town nestled in South Korea, thousands of “Moonies” gathered this month for a mass wedding.
Around 1,300 couples from dozens of countries tied the knot at the Unification Church’s sprawling headquarters in Gapyeong, north of Seoul, under the supervision of their controversial leader, known as the “holy mother”.
The spectacular tradition, which dates back to the first so-called “blessing ceremony” featuring 36 couples in 1961, is an integral part of the broadly neo-Christian beliefs held by the church, founded by Moon Sun-myung and now run by his widow, Han Hak-ja.
The church claims these mass weddings can help reverse South Korea’s woeful birthrate, improve family values, and ultimately bring about Moon’s goal of completing the unfulfilled mission of Jesus Christ to restore humanity to a state of “sinless” purity.
“I’m just really grateful,” American Emmanuel Muyongo, 29, told AFP at the ceremony, where he married his Japanese wife, whom he met years ago and grew close to at a church in the United States.
Muyongo’s own parents married at a mass wedding, and he said that he was honoured “to experience what my parents’ experienced”.
“We love you, Holy Mother Han!” the couples shouted in unison at one point during the event, which featured blaring fanfare and confetti cannons.
Han, 82, looked almost eerily calm throughout the festivities, once slowly waving at her excited followers while wearing sunglasses and a green dress.
The church, which was founded in 1954, claims to have around three million followers globally — including 300,000 in South Korea, 600,000 in Japan — and oversees a sprawling business empire encompassing construction, tourism, education and media, among others.
But in Japan, the church has been accused of coercive fundraising, especially after the 2022 assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, allegedly carried out by a man who harboured resentment toward the sect.
A court there revoked its legal status as an organisation last month, although its members can continue to meet.
Abe’s accused killer blamed the church for his family’s financial ruin, after his mother made huge donations. Abe — along with other world leaders including US President Donald Trump — had sent video messages to events linked to the church.
But at the mass wedding this month, followers were unfazed by the recent legal blow, with the visibly emotional couples — including Japanese — radiating joy and gratitude to Han.
After Moon’s 2012 death, Han stepped up to lead the church and is now referred to by members as god’s “only begotten daughter” and the “holy mother”.
Content retrieved from: https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2025/04/23/mass-wedding-messier-truths-moonies-say-i-do-amid-cult-claims-and-japan-crackdown/174194.
