[KS] Reporter's question on North Korea and Unification Church

[lawrence driscoll]

Dear John:

I believe Reverend Moon's relationship to the DPRK has nothing to do with 
Billy Graham and other
"religious types". The Unification Church has a pan Asia vision which among 
other things envisioned the creation of the now defunct automotive 
production base in China called "Panda Motors". It also envisions a Pan 
Asian Highway that will strectch from Japan to the Asian mainland, namely 
Korea, by a tunnel, and then extend up the peninsula and across the 
territory once known as the Silk Road. The vision includes the current 
automobile production start-up venture in North Korea called Pyeonghwa 
Motors. In other words the initial aim of the Unification Church has little 
to do with religion and lots to do with global economics......and yes, the 
propagation of unity and peace in the region.

Billy Graham's connection with North Korea is related to his wife's 
childhood education there in Pyongyang, and remnants of the Protestant 
Christian missionary organization which administered that education early 
last century.

Best regards,
Lawrence Driscoll
a "religious type"

>From: "michael Robinson" <robime at indiana.edu>
>Reply-To: Korean Studies Discussion List <Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
>To: <john at gorenfeld.net>,"Korean Studies Discussion List" 
><Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
>Subject: Re: [KS] Reporter's question on North Korea and Unification Church
>Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 18:52:50 -0500
>
>Dear John:
>
>You should contact the Billy Graham organization as well....this religious 
>types seem to have all the pull with North korean contacts.
>
>Mrobinson
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: John Gorenfeld
>   To: Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws
>   Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 1:07 PM
>   Subject: [KS] Reporter's question on North Korea and Unification Church
>
>
>   Dear Korean Studies mailing list,
>
>   I'm writing a story for the American Prospect exploring relations 
>between North Korea and independent groups based in the United States.
>
>   Is there anyone out there who might be able to assess claims by Reverend 
>Moon's remarkable Unification Church that the group operates as a 
>back-channel for dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea? (See excerpt 
>below).
>
>   Is anyone on the list familiar with this relationship, which goes back 
>to about 1991?
>
>   This is from the church publication "Truth Is My Sword":
>   http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Books/Tims2/Tims2-a02.htm
>
>   "The result of the historical encounter between President Kim Il Sung
>   and Rev. Moon was expressed in a 10-point communique, one of which was
>   an agreement to have prime ministerial talks between North and South
>   Korea. This opened the door to a new era of relations between the DPRK
>   and South Korea. This occurred a few days after Rev. Moon's departure
>   from Pyongyang. Another area negotiated included North Korea's desire
>   for light-water nuclear reactors to replace their old ones that
>   created the so-called controversy of the DPRK nuclear weapons program.
>
>   "In the following months and years, the Summit Council, under the
>   direction of Dr. Pak, has effectively used back-door diplomacy to
>   promote dialogue between the United States and the DPRK in order to
>   resolve this potential nuclear buildup in northeast Asia. The Summit
>   Council was responsible to nourish the process of diplomatic
>   rapprochement between Washington and Pyongyang. This led to the final
>   signing of the "Framework Agreement" on October 21, 1994, between the
>   United States and the DPRK that froze the weapons-grade
>   plutonium-producing reactors in exchange for light-water reactors."
>
>   John
>
>
>   --
>   John Gorenfeld
>   www.gorenfeld.net
>   (415) 307-3898
>   Fax: (815) 366-8165
>   268 Bush St., #3416
>   San Francisco, CA  94104
>
>
>   --
>   John Gorenfeld
>   www.gorenfeld.net
>   (415) 307-3898
>   Fax: (815) 366-8165
>   268 Bush St., #3416
>   San Francisco, CA  94104