Sun Myung Moon (
Korean 문선명
Mun Seon-myeong; born
Mun Yong-myeong; 25 February 1920 – 3 September 2012) was a
Korean religious leader, businessperson, political activist, and media mogul. A
messiah claimant, he was the founder of the
Unification Church (members of which have sometimes been called "
Moonies" and called him their
True Father), and of its widely noted
"Blessing" or
mass wedding ceremony, and the author of its unique theology the
Divine Principle. He was an ardent
anti-communist and advocate for
Korean reunification, for which he was recognized by the governments of both South and North Korea. His business interests included
News World Communications, an international
news media corporation known for its American subsidiary
The Washington Times, and
Tongil Group, a
South Korean business group (
chaebol), as well as various
affiliated organizations.