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

Global Peace Foundation The Global Peace Foundation (GPF) is an international nonprofit organization with a stated mission to promote “an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God.” GPF partners with government ...

, and later the

Family Peace Association The Family Peace Association is an international peace organization. It 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 ...

. His father,

Sun Myung Moon Sun Myung Moon (; born Moon Yong-myeong; 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 ...

, was the founder of the

Unification Church The Unification Church () is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists or sometimes informally Moonies. It was founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon in Seoul, South Korea, as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unificatio ...

, an international

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

Early life and education

Born in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

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

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, where he was a history major, and

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

with an

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

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 South Korean civil society organizations working in partnership with government. He urged the South 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 was the founding principle of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, and the first ...

," 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 (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...

founder

Edwin Feulner Edwin John Feulner Jr. (born August 12, 1941) is an American political scientist, former think tank executive, Congressional aide, and foreign consultant who co-founded The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in 1973. He served as The ...

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 Family values, sometimes referred to as familial values, are traditional or cultural values that pertain to the family's structure, function, roles, beliefs, attitudes, and ideals. Additionally, the concept of family values may be understood ...

. 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 ...

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. 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 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...

and promote peace and stability.

Youth leadership

Moon, whose various businesses have benefitted from the

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

activities of his father's followers, 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.

Ventures

Global Peace Foundation

The

, founded in 2009, is an international nonprofit organization with a stated mission to promote "an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding." 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. 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.

Family Peace Association

The

is an international peace organization, founded December 2, 2017, in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea, where it announced its mission: "To enlighten humanity by uplifting their spiritual consciousness through

universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Comcast ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of N ...

principles and values rooted in God-centered families.". The co-founders of the Family Peace Association are Hyun Jin Moon and Junsook Moon.

Moon 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 Korean Declaration of Independence () is the statement adopted by the 33 Korean representatives meeting at Taehwagwan, the restaurant located in what is now Insa-dong, Jongno District, Seoul on March 1, 1919, four months after the end of World ...

. His father,

, founder of the

was at the forefront of engagement with

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

, starting in 1991.

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, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

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

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

as part of the South Korean team, competing in Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 Olympics."Hyun-Jin MOON." International Olympic Committee. N.p., 19 June 2016. Web. 13 January 2017. Moon is married to Jun Sook Moon. They have nine children.

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 for South Korea South Korean male equestrians Social entrepreneurs Global Leadership Council Columbia College (New York) alumni South Korean people of North Korean origin 20th-century South Korean sportsmen