Korean Crisis: “True Democracy Must Serve Heaven”

In comment on South Korean crisis, “Godism” is held up as path to true democracy and peace

Part 1 of a speech by Ahn Ho-yeol (안호열), former media spokesperson of the Family Federation in South Korea, at a prayer vigil in Gapyeong, South Korea on 9th October 2025. Translated from the transcription of the original Korean.

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Today’s topic is “A True Democracy That Serves Heaven.”

Our True Mother has dedicated her entire life to realizing a world of peace, yet she said,

“Korean democracy should not treat me this way. Is this all that Korean democracy amounts to?”

Those words are profoundly serious. Why? Because throughout his life, True Father did not advocate a democracy centered on human beings, but one centered on God.

He proclaimed “Godism” [See editor’s note 1 below] – a form of democracy guided by divine principles.

When Korea was in turmoil – divided between the left and the right, between pro-America and anti-America, between pro-Japan and anti-Japan, and endlessly entangled in the issue of “cleansing old evils” – True Father was not concerned merely about the physical division of the land. He worried far more about the division of thought, the division of the nation, and the division of faith.

Therefore, he continuously proclaimed Godism [See editor’s note 1 below], Head-wing thought (두익사상 – 頭翼思想) [See editor’s note 2 below], and the vision of a world of interdependence, mutual prosperity, and universally shared values.

In that context, Heaven – our Heavenly Parent who loves and has chosen this nation – sent us the Only Begotten Daughter, the embodiment of the Holy Spirit, the True Mother.

Heaven believed that if this nation could just follow and attend the True Parents, it could surely become the nation that Heaven desires. But now, we ask:

“Why is this happening to our True Mother, who has lived her entire life for the liberation of our Heavenly Parent, for human peace, and for the salvation of humanity? Why is this happening?”

We will remember, and we will not forget. We must never forget. On the morning of 18^th July, I heard the news and drove up here. There were about twenty people gathered, and I joined them. We prayed, sang the holy songs of Cheonil-Guk, and declared that we would guard Heaven’s lineage. We shouted our determination with tears in our eyes.

But even as we stood there praying, police buses arrived one after another, surrounding the area like a blockade. One officer came up and asked,

“Who are you people? Why are you here?”

We said,

“We are here to pray for True Mother’s safety.”

He looked puzzled and said,

“You can’t be here.”

I replied,

“We are not protesting, we are praying.”

But they pushed us back, saying we were causing obstruction.

At that moment, my heart broke. Is this what Korean democracy has come to? Have we now reached a point where even prayer – a simple act of faith – is treated like a crime?

The True Mother, the embodiment of God’s ideal of love, is being treated as though she were a criminal. She, who has built schools, media foundations, peace organizations, and relief movements across the world – who has fed the hungry, rebuilt war-torn nations, and embraced the despised and the forgotten – now finds herself confined by the very nation she has loved and served.

“Brothers and sisters”, we must ask:

“What kind of democracy is this?”

A true democracy must protect the rights of faith, of conscience, and of love. It must serve Heaven first. But when the media twist the truth, when the prosecutors distort the law, and when politicians remain silent – we must ask ourselves,

“Then who truly governs this country today? Is it the politicians? Is it the prosecutors? Is it the media?”

If we know Heaven’s will, and we know the True Parents, yet we remain silent, then we are committing a sin before Heaven. Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality – it is complicity. When the righteous are silent, evil gains power. True Father always said:

“When you see injustice, you must speak out even if your voice trembles. When you see unrighteousness, you must stand against it even if you stand alone.”

That is the path of Heaven’s sons and daughters. That is the path of those who have inherited True Parents’ heart.

Do you think True Mother is enduring this situation because she is powerless? No. She is enduring because she is protecting Heaven’s providence. Just as Jesus silently endured the cross to fulfill God’s will, True Mother is now walking a path of indescribable sorrow to protect Heaven’s foundation on earth.

But Heaven is watching. The ancestors who toiled for this nation’s restoration are watching. And the entire spirit world is watching to see who among us will stand with Heaven, and who will remain silent out of fear.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must choose. Will we bow to worldly power, or will we uphold Heavenly law? Will we remain silent, or will we testify to the truth of the True Parents?

The road may be narrow, and we may face persecution. But that road – the road of loyalty to Heaven – is the path of God’s will, the path of the True Parents, and the path of a true democracy.

To be continued. Part 2 coming soon.

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Featured image above: Ahn Ho-yeol (안호열), former media spokesperson of the Family Federation in South Korea, delivering his message in gapyeong, South Korea 9th October 2025. Scereenshot from video by FFWPU.

[Editor’s note 1: “Godism” (하나님주의) is one of the central philosophical and theological ideas associated with Sun Myung Moon (문선명) and the Unification movement. 하나님 (Hananim) = “God” (the personal, loving Creator). 주의 (主義) = “-ism” or “principle/ideology”. So 하나님주의 (Godism) literally means “the ideology centered on God”.

Sun Myung Moon presented Godism as a third ideological alternative to capitalism and communism, especially during the Cold War. It was meant to be a moral and spiritual worldview that could reconcile left and right, transcending materialistic and human-centered ideologies.
This is closely connected with his idea of Head-Wing Thought (두익사상) [See editor’s note 2 below] – where Godism serves as the core spiritual content, and Head-Wing Thought serves as the social-political application.

The core principles of Godism:

• God-centered humanism – Humanity’s ultimate purpose is not self-centered fulfillment but living for the sake of others, reflecting God’s heart of love.
• Dual purpose of life – Each individual exists both for personal perfection (becoming one with God in love) and for the good of others (family, society, and the world).
• Family as the school of love – True love begins in the family and expands to all levels of human relationships, reflecting God’s parental heart.
• Unity of science and religion – Godism seeks to harmonize spiritual truth and scientific understanding under a divine purpose.
• Overcoming ideological conflict – By centering politics and economics on God’s love, Godism proposes peace through moral renewal, not domination or class struggle.]

[Editor’s note 2: Head-wing thought  (두익사상 – 頭翼思想) is a concept coined by Sun Myung Moon. 두 (頭) = “head”, 익 (翼) = “wing”, 사상 (思想) = “thought” or “ideology”. So 두익사상 literally means “Head-Wing Thought.”

It was developed by Sun Myung Moon (Co-Founder of the Family Federation) and his followers as a philosophical framework intended to transcend and harmonize left-wing (liberal/socialist) and right-wing (conservative/capitalist) ideologies – hence the “head” guiding both “wings”.]

[Editor’s note 3: “Interdependence, mutual prosperity, and universally shared values” (상호의존, 상생, 공의) is one of the most important expressions of Sun Myung Moon’s and Hak Ja Han’s social philosophy, and it encapsulates the ethical foundation of their “Head-Wing Thought” (두익사상) [See editor’s note 2].

Literally, 상호의존 (相互依存) means “mutual dependence”. All beings exist in relationship, not isolation. Human society and the universe are based on interdependence.

The literal meaning of 상생 (相生) is mutual giving life / co-prosperity. True prosperity arises when all parties benefit – not through competition, but cooperation.

A literal translation of 공의 (公義) would be “public justice” or “universal righteousness”. This is the moral foundation that aligns individual and collective good with God’s love and truth.

Together, they form a trinity of social principles that describe the ideal structure of relationships in a God-centered world. This threefold ideal – interdependence, mutual prosperity, and universally shared values – expresses the ethical and structural order of a society grounded in Godism (하나님주의) [See editor’s note 1] and Head-Wing Thought (두익사상) [See editor’s note 2].

Interdependence means that society and the cosmos operate through harmonious give-and-take. It rejects the materialist idea of conflict (as in Marxism) and instead sees cooperation as the essence of existence.

Mutual prosperity signifies that economic life should aim for shared benefit, not exploitation. True prosperity comes from living for the sake of others, ensuring everyone’s well-being.

The meaning of “universally shared values” is that moral and social systems must reflect God’s universal principles of justice and love. This provides a common moral ground transcending ideology, race, and religion.

The concept is sometimes described as the ideological foundation for the “Kingdom of Heaven on Earth” envisioned by Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han.]

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