Cham Bumo Gyeong: Episode 211

Cham Bumo Gyeong
Book 8: North-South Unification and World Peace
Chapter 1: Initiatives for North-South Unification and the Visit to North Korea
Section 3: Dialogue with Kim Il-sung, paragraph 26
Section 4: Initiatives for Unification, Paragraph 08

26  I had earlier opened the gates of China and the Soviet Union. The only gate left to be opened was that of North Korea. I asked him, "Big brother Il-sung, if I bring 30,000 couples to the North under the banner of the International Marriage Blessing Ceremony, can I be confident you will open up the DMZ for them to cross?" He said, "Yes, of course. It will be amazing." This is a behind-the-scenes story that shapes history. Kim Il-sung told me to bring 30,000 couples to North Korea. Then I said, "But you do not have any hotels." He told me, "Songdo Beach is famous for its beauty worldwide. Hundreds of thousands can stay in the pine grove there. Bring one tent for every ten people, and everything will be solved." He was right. Wonsan harbor would be opened up and we would transport everything by ship, including the food needed for the participating couples. This is not a lie. 

When we tried to negotiate this with the South Korean government, however, they said, "It would be disastrous. It would reflect poorly on the dignity of our nation." South Korea was putting its national pride above the unification of the Korean Peninsula. Due to their opposition, both Koreas lost face. Eventually, about 100 couples went to North Korea.

27  Kim Il-sung was incredulous that a 30,000 Couple International Marriage Blessing Ceremony was really going to take place. He could not believe that 30,000 couples would get married in one ceremony. I told him, "30,000 couples is nothing." I had seen it in his eyes that he wanted to see a picture of the 30,000 couple marriage ceremony, so I instructed someone to show Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il a picture of the Blessing. 

We must eliminate the Demilitarized Zone as quickly as possible. I had to convince him to lift the DMZ gate, but what weapon could accomplish this? I knew that Kim Il-sung was not just a man of broad ideas, but his manner was also very bold, so I thought of the Blessing ceremony. Kim Il-sung and I had signed a pact of brotherhood. So calling him "Big brother Il-sung," I got him to confirm this three times. Walking from the dining room to the farewell exit, I held onto his hand, and asked him, "Brother, you aren't going to ignore your younger brother, right?" to which he replied, "‘Of course not, I'll keep that promise. Tell me what you'd like me to do."

Section 4. Initiatives for Unification

Mt. Geumgang

The dialogue with President Kim Il-sung resulted in an agreement about the development of Mt. Geumgang (Diamond Mountain). The Geumgang Mountains boast the most beautiful scenery on the Korean Peninsula, with vistas comparable to the most lovely places on earth. True Parents foresaw that developing this picturesque mountain area would not only benefit the North Korean economy through international tourism but would also contribute greatly toward achieving North-South reunification and world peace.

1  I have a plan to invite renowned people from around the world to an exquisite resort to discuss current global issues. Mt. Geumgang should be designed as this venue and developed as a world-class resort. It encompasses a vast area. The North Korean government has designated an area of land about half the size of Jeju Island—which is large—at Mt. Geumgang and surrounded it with barbed wire. Even North Koreans are barred from entering without a permit. But I will see to it that people will be able to travel freely to Mt. Geumgang even without a visa. 

That place is truly heaven on earth. We can build a locally managed folk village there. Celebrities can build wonderful mansions there for their retirement. People will be drawn to this place more than to their own nations' tourist attractions. Different ethnic groups will strive to build their own cultural environments there, with each responsible for its own area. No conflict will arise and no one will worry about security, because every nation and people will harmonize according to its own highest standard.

We will hold banquets and seminars for leaders from different fields, with lots of free time to sing, dance and enjoy life. If eminent people give lectures and hold seminars at Mt. Geumgang, the demand for space will be high. As more and more cultural events and activities take place, people will be drawn closer to one another, and an ideal environment will be created. I am planning to turn the site into such an attractive place. I am going to create a model to showcase the kingdom of heaven on earth.

2  Many businessmen and economists from around the world have visited Mt. Geumgang. More than likely, however, they salivated over the thought of generating profits from this site, without giving any thought to its beauty or its potential as an ideal tourist attraction. They are ready to load up all the gold nuggets and take off. Not surprisingly, the North Korean government does not trust them. No matter how hard North Korea looks around, the only person they can trust is me. When they examine my motivation and compare it with the behavior, attitude and motivation of the others, who came and went, what do they think? The North Korean government believes that dealing with the other type of people will be the downfall of the Mt. Geumgang development project.

Mt. Geumgang has been preserved under God's protection. It is an amazing place. Nonetheless, I have no self-interest here; it is a national-level project. If this project moves forward, Russia and China will unite with other Asian countries to build an airport, a hub for major cities throughout the world. By opening this airport, tourists will flock to Asia from the Middle East and everywhere, and new air routes will open up across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

3  Mt. Geumgang can be developed into the top tourist attraction in the world. It will generate high revenues, but I am not doing this for money. We need to make it a place that can move Asia and influence China and Russia. If I am given such a privileged opportunity, anyone who goes to Mt. Geumgang will first receive a week-long Unification Principle workshop. There are so many hidden nooks up and down the mountains and valleys that it is hard to visit more than seven of them in a week. To meet the demand, we will offer excellent guides and amenities to those who make a two- or three-week reservation, and at the same time we will educate them in the Principle.

4  What would happen if I told President Kim Il-sung right now, "Let Unification Church members conduct pilgrimages to Mt. Geumgang?" Imagine the possibilities for pilgrimage tourism! I grew up and went to school in Jeongju, and I endured prison in Hungnam. Also, I spent some time at a place called Gyeongchang-ri in Pyongyang. If we bring sites like these back to life and develop them as tourist destinations, the government should at least allow Unification Church members to make pilgrimages to visit them. If they allow this, then one member could easily bring 10 or 100 people with him. On such a pilgrimage, they could also visit places in South Korea such as Daegu or Busan where I suffered and endured hardships. We operate the second- or third-largest tour company in South Korea, so we could use our own company's buses. When North Korean visitors come to South Korea and refuse to return to the North, it poses a problem, but North Koreans taking part in the tours we organize would not cause such problems. In addition, we could connect the tourist sites of Mt. Geumgang to those at Mt. Myohyang and Mt. Baekdu. Unification Church members from around the world would love Jeongju more than their own homes.

An enterprise like this would pay for itself. North Korea possesses this treasure. But people have been grappling with plans like this since the liberation of Korea 46 years ago. If North and South Korea had united at that time and cooperated in developing tourism, they would already have reaped hundreds of billions of dollars. They could have lived as fortunate, blessed citizens in the most prosperous land on earth instead of falling into ruin because of the war. When we view things from this perspective, all of North Korea is on the move and should utilize me. I hope this will come to be the case.

Pyeonghwa Motors and the Botonggang Hotel

True Parents entered into a joint venture with President Kim Il-sung to build an automobile factory in North Korea. Pyeonghwa Motors General Corporation was launched in Nampo on January 1, 1998, as a joint venture between the Tongil Group (Seoul), which owned 70 percent of the shares, and the North Korean Ryonbong General Corporation, a government-owned company specializing in machinery production, which owned 30 percent of the shares. The Pyeonghwa Motors factory occupies 270 acres (1.09 million square meters). It is a key industry of North Korea, representing North-South cooperation. It was managed by South Koreans, and this had significant implications. In its early stages, it manufactured and assembled parts for Italy's Fiat. Also, the Unification movement began operating the Botonggang Hotel in downtown Pyongyang after acquiring it in November 1993.

5  I am doing what I have to do for North Korea from the position of an older brother and father. I will not profit a penny. The inauguration of the Pyeonghwa Motors factory will take place April 6, 2002, and I do not have the slightest intention to reap any profit from this. I think only about investing more. It is not my personal investment; it will be Americans who invest, and people from neighboring nations such as Russia and China will not be excluded. They will invest along with the United States. In this way Russia and China can benefit as well. There is only destruction when Cain and Abel do not unite. This fundamental principle is a formula that is applicable everywhere, and I am resolving the current situation using it.

6  Currently, North Korea cannot exclude me. By using the technology of Tongil Heavy Industries, they are manufacturing automobiles to which the message of peace is attached since they bear our brand name Pyeonghwa (Peace). Now North Korea is making its own cars, the Hwiparam (Whistle) and Bbeokgugi (Cuckoo), and people in the city of Pyongyang are driving the cars our factory produces. I heard that we received an order for 3,000 vehicles, and that this is beyond our current capacity. I am preparing for North Korea to gain the technical skills to repair the best cars and machinery from China. Since I have created an automobile factory in order to revive North Korea's industries, I will also ensure that they have our technology to enable them to repair cars and ships. I am doing this by myself; no one else has been able to do it.

7  There were risks involved in founding an automobile factory, whether in North Korea or in Vietnam. America opposed my idea of building an automobile factory in Vietnam. But still we entered Vietnam, laid the foundation and later entered into a partnership with an Italian company. After our factory had made some progress, the Vietnamese government accused it of hindering its national interests. In fact, the government had made a separate contract with the Italian company beforehand, and this forced us to close down our factory. We had built this factory in Vietnam from scratch under great hardship. We then moved it to North Korea in order to create what is today's Pyeonghwa Motors. Our Vietnamese factory was always losing money, but now we look forward to making a profit. 

After joining hands with North Korea, the future is beginning to look bright for our business, especially if we can open the door to China. Having pioneered a company of this standard, I can connect us to China through North Korea. We can bring in technology and let it flow back. This is why we formed a sister relationship with a large automobile factory in Andong Province, China, using the technology of Pyeonghwa Motors. By helping them improve their technology, we can manufacture products economically. In China we can manufacture products at a low cost. We will offer inexpensive Chinese-made goods on the market, together with products from Pyeonghwa Motors.

8  It is amazing that we have received permission to build an automobile factory in North Korea. How will the global automobile market change in the future? America will no longer hold the leading role in the global automobile industry. America is across the Pacific Ocean. Europe also will not be in the lead. It is difficult to manage an automobile factory in Europe because the equalization of technology creates fierce competition. If a European automobile company is to survive, it must market in other countries. Serving their domestic market alone slows their production, and they cannot afford that. So with this in mind, where in the world should we be searching for market share? There is China, there is Russia and there is the Islamic world. Companies that succeed in these markets will lead the global automobile industry. If we bear this in mind, we can supply car parts all over the world. 

Labor costs are low in North Korea. It also shares a border with China, so we can bring in Chinese workers. All we really need is technology that meets the international standard. If we can jump into the automobile industry with this condition fulfilled, no one in the world will be able to outperform us in the market. This is why experts around the world are focusing their attention on the factory we are creating in North Korea.