Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chi-chi]

Cultural difference.
It may be irritating to you, but many people in Asia love the whole "noisy" thing.
I personally find loudspeakers to be quite irritating and HATED the political trucks in Japan, (not to mention the loud train sounds which SCREECHED compared to the West.)
But it's just a cultural thing they get off on noise somehow, and of course why would it be any diff. for religion?
Everything else in Korea is loud.
The Chinese word for this is called "renea"
They find it exciting somehow.

[DDDstylee]

"DDD" Life in Korea magazine is doing an in-depth story not a blog or a tattoed/earing bluffers-are-forever page. if anyone wants to get involved email to [email protected]
www.lifeinkorea.org

[Hardy Boy]

For those wishing to talk about religion in general rather than about religiosity in Korea, see the split thread side discussion on the Off-Topic Forum: http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=27290

[HamuHamu]

If you're thinking that Christianity in Korea falls on the "Scary" side, have a read about the Unification Church, led by Reverend Moon. "Worshipers" of the church are called "Moonies."

Moon is Korean, although he lives, and has set up the Unification Church in USA. I don't know how active the Unification Church is in Korea, however, the American branch does have a large percentage of American-Koreans in their "congregation." Moon was jailed in the 90s for tax-evasion. I *think* he is out of prison now; as far as I know, the Unification Church is still around.

Revered Moon claims that God has appointed him to make the "perfect family" and accomplish that which Jesus could not do. His own family is the True Family, with his children being worshipped in the church as "True Children."

His daughter-in-law wrote a book about how she was "chosen" (read: forced) as a teenager to be pledged to marry the oldest son of the family. And as the wife of the oldest son in a Korean family, her responsibilities were quite important. She eventually fled, the only way she could possibly write and publish the book. I read it before coming to Korea; I would like to read it again now, with a different perspective (ie/ understanding Korean families a bit more).

One chapter of her book can be found at
http://www.twbookmark.com/books/59/0316348163/chapter_excerpt345.html

[Honeybee]

Not sure how big the Moonies are in Korea, most people realize its a cult.
But the Moonies have their own university here,
http://grus.sunmoon.ac.kr/english/main.asp

And his arms factories are based here.
http://www.tongil.co.kr/

A lot of the cults propaganda is written here and Moonies in other countries are often invited here to attend seminars.

Here's a good resource on the Moonies.

A journalists blog investigating the cult:
http://www.iapprovethismessiah.com/

Moon created quite a stir in Washington earlier this year by hosting an event in a US Senate building and declaring himself Messiah:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1245929,00.html

The former Number 2 of the Moonies was arrested recently in Korea on fraud charges.
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200407/20/200407202340333879900090409041.html

Michael Breen, author of the "The Koreans" and "Kim Jong Il: North Korea's Dear Leader has also written a rather odd book outlining the early years of Moon and his "Church". Its very biased towards Moon, leaving out anything critical, in particular numerous rape allegations made against him in the 1950's are not mentioned. Moon obviously liked the book, it's used by the Church as part of their propaganda.
Breen is speaking at the next Kotesl seminar next month in Seoul, I'm tempted to ask him why he wrote such a piece of shit.

Thankfully the book is long out of print and it seems no publisher is interested in it. It's available online from official Moonie websites:
http://www.unification.org/ucbooks/earlyyears/

Moon's cult has also spawned a number of offshoot cults, including one led by a wanted rapist. There's a thread about that particular cult at the top of the FAQ board here.
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=12077