Thousands of people fill the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Some 15,000 people fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Family members of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon bow after offering flowers before a portrait of the reverend during his funeral, called the Seonghwa, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Grandson Shin Jun, left, and Kwon Jin Moon, one of the sons of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, carry a portrait of the reverend as the process out of the stadium at the end of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Behind them comes the reverend's casket. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mrs. Moon, second from right, follows her husband's casket as it makes its way out of the stadium of the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. The reverend's funeral was held following a 13-day mourning period. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Thousands of mourners line up outside the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church. Some 15,000 fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mrs. Moon sits in one of two seats reserved for the "True Parents," the other one obviously empty, during her husband, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon's, funeral on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A mourner picks up a program for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church. Some 15,000 fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mrs. Moon sits in one of two seats reserved for the "True Parents," with the other one being empty, during the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church. Some 15,000 fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mourners make their way up the steps while others rest on them, heading to the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church. Some 15,000 fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. Because it was first-come, first-served for many of the seats, most mourners arrived early and spent time outside on the steps. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A police officer directs traffic outside the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, where hundreds of busloads of mourners arrived for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mourners arrive at the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A staff member eats in the cafeteria of the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea before the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. Although the funeral did not start until 10 a.m., mourners arrived hours in advance, so staff members had to be at the facility in the wee hours of the morning. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Ushers hand out programs to attendees at the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A security guard stands at the back of the stadium during a video presentation about the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon's life during the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
People walk through a hallway past a "peace" sign that is meant to look like clouds at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, the day of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon's funeral. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
People walk through a hallway past a "peace" sign that is meant to look like clouds at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, the day of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon's funeral. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A Universal Peace Federation (UPF) usher holds up an umbrella to signal to people where to go in one of the corridors of the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A huge crowd of mourners who could not make it into the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center to witness the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 gather outside the building to watch the event live on a giant screen. The stadium holds about 15,000 people and was standing room only. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A man takes a nap with a newspaper bearing the face of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon covering his own face in the corridor of the stadium of the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, the day of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, for the reverend. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A man reads a paper that talks about the life of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon in the stadium of the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, the day of te reverend's funeral. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mourners take pictures of a television screen showing the casket of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon leave the palace to head to the stadium for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A group of second-generation family Unification Church members, dressed in yellow, at right, process into the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 to line the walkway where the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's casket will make its way to the stage for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A group of second-generation family Unification Church members, dressed in yellow, process into the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 to line the walkway where the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's casket will make its way to the stage for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Grandson Shin Jun, left, and Kwon Jin Moon, one of the sons of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, carry in a portrait of the reverend at the beginning of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. At left in yellow are members of second-generation Unification Church families. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Grandson Shin Jun, left, and Kwon Jin Moon, one of the sons of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, carry in a portrait of the reverend at the beginning of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Behind them, brothers Kook Jin and Hyung Jin lead the casket in. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Family members of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon sit up front in traditional Korean garb at the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony honoring their father at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Staff members watch the video honoring the life of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon during the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mourners sit on the floor of the stadium on order to witness the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Some 15,000 people fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Dignitaries and honored guests, including Graciela Rompani de Pacheco, right, former first lady of Uruguay, were invited to offer flowers before a portrait of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon during his funeral in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
With members of second-generation Unification Church families lining the walkway in yellow, the family of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon processes out of the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea at the end of his funeral on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mrs. Moon, center, is escorted out of the stadium by her two youngest daughters following the funeral for her husband, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A man sits on the stairs outside the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 while female mourners, dressed in white, as is the tradition in Korean culture, walk up the steps for the funeral service for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A mother feeds her children on the steps of the stadium outside the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. Because thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, many arrived very early and took a break to eat once there. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Women and girls with the Korea-Japan United Chorus wait to perform at the funeral service for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
An usher hands out programs to attendees of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon at Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A father adjusts his son's clothes out in the hallway of the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea before the funeral service for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A little boy tries to get this older woman's attention as she is reading the program for the funeral for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon inside the stadium of the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Young men and boys who could not get into the stadium to witness the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon's funeral in person sit on rocks outside to watch it on a large screen. The funeral was held Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mourners watch on a screen as the cars carrying the family and casket of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon leave the palace to make their way to the stadium for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A woman cries during the funeral for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A woman cries as the casket enters the room during the funeral for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Grandson Shin Jun, left, and Kwon Jin Moon, one of the sons of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, carry in a portrait of the reverend at the beginning of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church. Some 15,000 fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
The Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea is filled to capacity for the funeral of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Hyung Jin Moon, left, and his wife light candles during the funeral service for Hyung Jin's father, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Hyung Jin Moon and his wife light candles during the funeral service for Hyung Jin's father, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
At left, Hyung Jin Moon, son of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, and his wife exit the stage after lighting candles while Mrs. Moon sits in one of the chairs reserved for the "True Parents" during the funeral service for her husband on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Thousands of people fill the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World ... more >
GAPYEONG, South Korea — Tens of thousands of mourners descended on this remote rural retreat to pay their final respects to Unification Church founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon in a solemn two-and-a-half hour ceremony Saturday.
The red casket with intricate gold trim containing Rev. Moon’s body made the long slow passage to the raised altar just after 10 a.m. for the “seonghwa” — memorial and ascension — ceremony, borne by eight pallbearers in white military tunics with orange and gold trim. Rev. Moon’s wife of 52 years, Hak Ja Han, walked stoically immediately behind the casket, dressed like other family members in a flowing white robe.
At the ceremony’s close, as those who packed the indoor stadium sang a hymn, the casket was carried back down the middle aisle to be transported to a smaller burial service on a nearby mountainside.
The emotional highlight of the burial came when Hyung Jin Moon and Kook Jin Moon, the two sons charged by their father with the leadership of his global religious and commercial mission, led immediate family members in a silent prayer as they held hands and knelt over the polished granite slab covering the burial vault.
Mrs. Moon then placed the first shovelful of dirt on the coffin, as a small group of top church officials and colleagues of the spiritual leader looked on.
Outsiders have been sharply divided over the size and scope of the Unification Church in recent years, but there was no gainsaying the outpouring of emotion or the large crowds who trekked to this out-of-the-way complex an hour from Seoul in the days leading up to the final farewell.
The two upper levels of the of the Cheongshim Peace World Center indoor stadium were completely filled two hours before the funeral, the men in black suits with white ties and the women almost uniformly dressed in cream- or white-colored gowns.
Church officials estimated that some 35,000 people made the journey to Gapyeong Saturday to mark the passing of Rev. Moon, who died from complications of pneumonia Sept. 2 at the age of 92. Cars and dozens of chartered buses were already backed up on the two-lane road that leads to the center as dawn broke four hours before the ceremony was to begin.
Also in attendance was a large international delegation of political, diplomatic and religious figures who worked with Rev. Moon’s ministry, which grew from a tiny, embattled church in his native South Korea to a global spiritual movement and an affiliated commercial empire comprising real estate, manufacturing and agricultural operations, and media properties including The Washington Times.
Clergy, political leaders and members of the church’s Universal Peace Federation recalled before the ceremony Rev. Moon’s ministry and lifelong drive to bridge the differences and end the divisions between the world’s great faith traditions.
“What stands out for me was his determination and courage to end the infightings in the world,” said Lord Tarsem Singh King, who broke a barrier himself when he became the first politician of Asian ancestry to join Britain’s House of Lords.
Lord King was one of several dignitaries who spoke at the funeral, praising Rev. Moon’s lifelong work to break down denominational walls between religions. Rev. Moon, he said, had proved time and again “his willingness to risk his life for the sake of Gold’s will.”
“Father Moon’s legacy is still alive and well,” he said.
Peter Lokeris, a Ugandan cabinet minister, said: “I heard about Rev. Moon in the 1990s and learned that he was answering the call of God to love one another and become one family under God. We think the people of Africa and the world should enjoy peace as proud people of God.”
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Raised in Northern Virginia, David R. Sands received an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He worked as a reporter for several Washington-area business publications before joining The Washington Times.
At The Times, Mr. Sands has covered numerous beats, including international trade, banking, politics ...
Cheryl Wetzstein covers family and social issues as a national reporter for The Washington Times. She has been a reporter for three decades, working in New York City and Washington, D.C. Since joining The Washington Times in 1985, she has been a features writer, environmental and consumer affairs reporter, and assistant business editor. Beginning in 1994, Mrs. Wetzstein worked exclusively ...
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