Tongil Group (Korean: 통일그룹) is a Korean business group (chaebol) associated with the Unification Church. (“Tongil” is Korean for “unification,” the name of the Unification Church in Korean is “Tongilgyo.”) It was founded in 1963 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon (following the purchase of a surplus Japanese lathe in 1962[1]) as a nonprofit organization which would provide revenue for the Unification Church. Its core focus was manufacturing but in the 1970s and 1980s it expanded by founding or acquiring businesses in pharmaceuticals, tourism, and publishing.[2]
In 1998 Tongil Group was about 35th in size among South Korean business groups and was in the process of expanding into North Korea, with the blessing of the South Korean government which had previously forbidden relationships between North Korea and South Korean businesses.[3]
In the 1990s Tongil Group suffered as a result of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. By 2004 it was losing money and was $3.6 billion in debt. In 2005 Moon’s son, Kook-jin Justin Moon (founder of Kahr Arms) was appointed chairman of Tongil Group.[2] As of 2010 he was in the process of reforming its businesses by hiring new managers and by closing unprofitable operations. Among Tongil Group’s chief holdings are: The Ilwha Company, which produces ginseng and related products; Ilshin Stone, building materials; and Tongil Heavy Industries, machine parts including hardware for the South Korean military.
The Tongil Group funds the Tongil Foundation which finances about 20 religious and educational institutions, including the Sun Moon University, and the Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea; as well as donating to the Unification Church itself.[4]
^Moon, Sun Myung (2009). As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen. Gimm-Young Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7166-0299-6. page 151.
^ abKim, Hyung-eun (April 12, 2010). "Business engine of a global faith". Joong Ang Daily.
^Kirk, Don (May 2, 1998). "Reverend Moon's Group Wants to Talk Investment: Seoul Nods At Church's Foray North". New York Times.
^Kirk, Donald (2 May 2010). "Sons rise in a Moon's shadow". Forbes.
TongilGroup (Korean: 통일그룹) is a Korean business group (chaebol) associated with the Unification Church. (“Tongil” is Korean for “unification,” the name...
materials; and Tongil Heavy Industries, machine parts including hardware for the South Korean military. The TongilGroup funds the Tongil Foundation which...
for its American subsidiary The Washington Times, and TongilGroup, a South Korean business group (chaebol), as well as other related organizations. Moon...
and was renamed as Seongnam FC. In 1975, Sun Myung Moon, the owner of TongilGroup, wanted to found a professional football club in South Korea. Since the...
Korea–United States Hanoi Summit 2019 Koreas–United States DMZ Summit 23880 Tongil (asteroid honoring reunification process) Peace Treaty on Korean Peninsula...
Ministries Segye Ilbo Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma Sun Myung Moon University TongilGroup Unification Church of the United States World Scripture Wyndham New Yorker...
Ministries Segye Ilbo Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma Sun Myung Moon University TongilGroup Unification Church of the United States World Scripture Wyndham New Yorker...
operates Kahr Arms, a U.S. small arms manufacturer, former chairman of TongilGroup, a South Korean chaebol associated with the Unification Church. Hyun...
psychological manipulation in order to create a feeling of unity within a group against a society perceived as hostile. In 2011, clinical psychologist Oliver...
organisations, and would expel members who did not break ties with the group. On 10 December, the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors...
between North and South before. In 2000, the church-associated business groupTongilGroup founded Pyeonghwa Motors in the North Korean port of Nampo, in cooperation...
Church Woos A Second Generation, National Public Radio, June 23, 2010 Faith groups call for greater efforts to promote tolerance, Washington Times, July 13...
Christianity), a new religious movement founded by Sun Myung Moon, through the TongilGroup. Yongpyeong-myeon, a nearby township (myeon), is not related to the resort...
between North and South before. In 2000, the church-associated business groupTongilGroup founded Pyeonghwa Motors in the North Korean port of Nampo, in cooperation...
two states. Little Angels is a world-famous children's folklore ballet group, founded 60 years ago by Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han Moon. Little angels...
United States after sociology student John Lofland studied Young Oon Kim's group and published his findings as a doctoral thesis entitled: The World Savers:...
million in debt so that it could be sale-able. In 1992, a group of Saudi investors, ARA Group International (AGI), bought the bankrupt UPI for $4 million...
Ministries Segye Ilbo Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma Sun Myung Moon University TongilGroup Unification Church of the United States World Scripture Wyndham New Yorker...
Christ". After Moon's death, UC members around the world spoke to small groups of members, saying that the messages they were conveying were from Heung...
Ministries Segye Ilbo Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma Sun Myung Moon University TongilGroup Unification Church of the United States World Scripture Wyndham New Yorker...
the rule of celibacy for Latin Rite priests in the Catholic Church; the group is called Married Priests Now!. The sponsor of the press conference was...
Ministries Segye Ilbo Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma Sun Myung Moon University TongilGroup Unification Church of the United States World Scripture Wyndham New Yorker...
by religious institutions, were less influenced by pro-Israel pressure groups than corporate-owned newspapers. In 2002, at an event held to celebrate...
from the paper's founding in 1982 until 2010, when Sun Myung Moon and a group of former Times editors purchased it from News World Communications under...
The Tongil Market (Korean: 통일시장; MR: T'ongil sijang), or Unification Market, is a marketplace in Pyongyang, North Korea. It is the largest and best-known...
Conference, British Sociological Association Sociology of Religion Study Group (1983). Of Gods and Men: New Religious Movements in the West : Proceedings...
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