Editing Hak Ja Han

{{short description|Korean religious leader (born 1943)}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Han (Korean name)|Han]]''. She is commonly referred to in Western sources by this name or her married name, Moon, but, for ease, this article will refer to her by the name Han''||lang=Korean}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Hak Ja Han
| image              = Hak Ja Han Budapest 2006-02-05.jpg
| alt                = 
| caption            = Hak speaking at [[Budapest]] {{c.}} 2006
| birth_name         = 
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1943|2|10}}
| birth_place        = [[Anju, South Pyongan|Anju]], [[Heian'nan Province]], [[Korea under Japanese rule|Korea, Empire of Japan]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20120312099100005|script-title=ko:선문학원 이사장에 한학자씨 &#124; 연합뉴스|date=March 12, 2012}}</ref> (now Anju, North Korea)
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| occupation         = religious leader
| known_for          = 
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Sun Myung Moon]]|11 April 1960|3 September 2012|end=d}}
| children           = 14, including: {{plainlist|
* [[In Jin Moon]]
* [[Heung Jin Moon]]
* [[Un Jin Moon]]
* [[Hyun Jin Moon]]
* [[Kook Jin Moon]]
* [[Hyung Jin Moon]]
}}
| nationality        = 
| module             = {{Infobox Korean name/auto|child=yes|headercolor=transparent
 |hangul=%한학자
 |hanja=韓鶴子
   }}
}}

'''Hak Ja Han Moon''' ({{Korean|hangul=한학자|hanja=韓鶴子}}; born February 10, 1943)<ref name="lewis" /> is a Korean religious leader.<ref name="timothymiller">{{cite book | last = Miller | first = Timothy | title = America's alternative religions | publisher = SUNY Press | year = 1995 | page = [https://archive.org/details/americasalternat00mill/page/223 223] | isbn = 0-7914-2397-2 | url = https://archive.org/details/americasalternat00mill/page/223}}</ref><ref name="lewis2005">{{cite book |last=Lewis |first=James R |author-link=James R. Lewis (scholar) |title=Cults: a reference handbook, Unification Church |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2005 |isbn=1-85109-618-3 |page=171 |pages=}}</ref> Her late husband [[Sun Myung Moon]] was the founder of the [[Unification Church]]. Han and Moon were married in April 1960 and have 10 living children and over 30 grandchildren.<ref name="introductiontoworldreligions" /><ref name="moontalks" /> In 1992, she established the Women's Federation for World Peace, and traveled the world speaking on its behalf.<ref name="eventworks" /><ref name="wifetospeak" /><ref name="kansas"/> Since her husband's death, she has assumed leadership of the Unification Church, whose followers call her "True Mother" and "Mother of Peace".<ref name="lewis" /><ref name="edwards" /> In 2025, she was arrested on bribery charges.<ref name=september2025arrest>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/23/unification-church-leader-han-hak-ja-arrested-south-korea-ntwnfb|title=Unification Church leader arrested in South Korea over bribery allegations linked to former first lady|publisher=The Guardian|date=September 23, 2025|accessdate=September 23, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/arrest-warrant-unification-church-hak-ja-han-a94265a743ff76f860f1b5df9f6bed3f|title=Unification Church leader arrested in bribery case involving former South Korean president’s wife|first=Kim|last=Tong-Hyung|publisher=Associated Press|date=September 22, 2025|accessdate=September 23, 2025}}</ref>

==Personal life and family==
Han, whose mother later became a follower of [[Sun Myung Moon]], was born on February 10, 1943.<ref name="lewis">{{Cite book |last=Beverly |first=James A. |title=Controversial New Religions |title-link=Controversial New Religions |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-19-515682-9 |editor-last=Lewis |editor-first=James R. |editor-link=James R. Lewis (scholar) |edition=1st |location=New York |language=en |chapter=Spirit Revelation and the Unification Church |editor-last2=Petersen |editor-first2=Jesper Aagaard |pages=43–44, 48–49}}</ref> Han attended an all-girls high school in Korea but did not go on to college. She speaks Japanese and English as well as Korean.<ref name="moon">{{cite book | last =Moon | first=Sun Myung | title =As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen | publisher =Gimm-Young Publishers | year =2009 | isbn = 978-0-7166-0299-6}}</ref>{{Clarify|reason=Does this mean "She speaks Japanese and English at an equal skill level to her Korean" or does it simply mean "She speaks Japanese, English, and Korean"? If the latter, the grammar should be fixed.|date=March 2023}} In April 1960, at the age of 17, Han, by then a member of the Unification Church,<ref name="Introvigne" /> married 40 year-old Moon.<ref name="cowan">{{cite book | last1 =Cowan | first1 =Douglas E. |first2=David G. |last2=Bromley | title =Cults and New Religions: A Brief History (Blackwell Brief Histories of Religion) | publisher =Blackwell Pub. | year =2007 | pages =96, 103 | isbn = 978-1-4051-6127-5}}</ref><ref name="lifeandtimes">{{cite news |title =Life and times | work =[[The Guardian]] | date =April 26, 2008 }}</ref> Han has 14 children, 10 of whom are still living,<ref name="killed"/> and as of 2011 has 38 grandchildren.<ref name="moontalks">{{Cite web |date=2011 |title=Sun Myung Moon's Family |url=http://www.tparents.org/Moon-Talks/Moon-Family/MoonFamNames-110000.htm |website=www.Tparents.org}}</ref>

On July 19, 2008, Han along with her husband and 14 others, including several of their children and grandchildren, were slightly injured when a [[Sikorsky S-92]] helicopter owned by the movement crashed during an emergency landing and burst into flames in [[Gapyeong]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/20/asia/AS-SKorea-Helicopter-Crash.php|title=Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon released from hospital after helicopter crash - International Herald Tribune|website=www.iht.com}}</ref><ref>[http://tworiversvip.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=243&task=videodirectlink&id=100 Account of crash by the Moons' youngest son] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013111247/http://tworiversvip.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=243&task=videodirectlink&id=100 |date=October 13, 2008 }}</ref> Han and all 15 others were treated at the nearby Unification Church-affiliated Cheongshim Hospital.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/19/asia/AS-SKorea-Helicopter-Crash.php Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, 15 others injured in helicopter crash] Herald Tribune, July 19, 2008</ref>

==Role in the Unification Church==
Some Unification Church members believe that Han and Moon's wedding established a "holy marriage", and also consider it to be a holy day, called "True Parents Day,"<ref name="neusner">{{cite book | last = Neusner | first = Jacob | title = World Religions in America: An Introduction | publisher = Westminster John Knox Press | year = 2009 | pages = 357–367| isbn =978-0-664-23320-4 }}</ref> as well as what members refer to as the "[[True Family]]."<ref name="cowan" /><ref name="bowie">{{cite book |last1=Bowie |first1=Fiona |title=The Coming Deliverer: Millennial Themes in World Religions |last2=Deacy |first2=Christopher |publisher=University of Wales Press |year=1997 |isbn=0-7083-1338-8 |page=210}}</ref> It is believed by the members to be the beginning of a new Completed Testament Age<ref name="gallagher2006">{{cite book | last = Gallagher | first = Eugene | title = Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America | publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group | year = 2006 | page = 90| isbn =978-0-275-98717-6 }}</ref> and to have fulfilled the prophesied [[Marriage of the Lamb]] in the [[Revelation of John]].<ref>Helm, S. [http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1163 Divine Principle and the Second Advent] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921143920/http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1163 |date=September 21, 2008 }}, ''[[Christian Century]]'' May 11, 1977</ref>
According to Church Unification members, Han and Moon are together believed to be the new messiahs.<ref name="introductiontoworldreligions">{{cite book | last =Partridge | first =Christopher Hugh | title =Introduction to world religions | publisher =Fortress Press | year =2005 | page =442 | isbn =0-8006-3714-3 }}</ref> The Moons are regarded by members to be the "True Parents" of humanity and are addressed by its followers as the True Father and True Mother.<ref name="killed">{{cite book | last =Wallis | first =David | title =Killed: Great Journalism Too Hot To Print | publisher =Nation Books | year =2004 | page =[https://archive.org/details/killedgreatjourn00wall/page/151 151] | isbn =1-56025-581-1 | url =https://archive.org/details/killedgreatjourn00wall/page/151 }}</ref> Members have also referred to Han as "the [[Bride of Christ]]"<ref>{{cite book | last =Allitt | first =Patrick |title =Religion in America Since 1945: A History | publisher =Columbia University Press | year =2005 | page =146 | isbn =0-231-12155-5 }}</ref> and the perfect woman.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Keller |first1=Rosemary Skinner |title=Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America |last2=Ruether |first2=Rosemary Radford |last3=Cantlon |first3=Marie |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2006 |isbn=0-253-34687-8 |page=789}}</ref> She is seen within the Unification Church as the Mother of humankind, the final chosen of God.<ref name="larson">{{cite book |last=Larson |first=Bob |title=Larson's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality, Unification Church |publisher=Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-8423-6417-1 |pages=503, 506}}</ref> Han and Moon are also seen as the exemplars of the God-centered existence by members.<ref>{{cite news | title = Visiting Rev. Moon promotes spiritual 'U.N.' | work = [[Seattle Post Intelligencer]] | date = September 29, 2005 | url = http://www.seattlepi.com/local/242713_moon29.html | access-date =April 21, 2009 }}</ref> In Unification Church services, members bow down in respect for Moon and Han, when they are present, and to representative pictures of them when they are not.<ref name="maass">[[Peter Maass]], [http://www.petermaass.com/articles/moon_at_twilight/ Moon At Twilight: Amid scandal, the Unification Church has a strange new mission], ''[[New Yorker Magazine]]'', September 14, 1998.</ref>

In 1962, Moon and Han founded the [[Little Angels Children's Folk Ballet of Korea]], a girls Korean folk ballet company meant to promote a positive perception of South Korea.<ref>{{cite news | last =Sewell | first =Rhonda B. | title =Korean Culture Takes the Stage | work =[[The Blade (Toledo)|The Blade]] | page =D11 | date =February 28, 2003 |quote=The colors, sounds, and heritage of South Korea will come alive tonight as the Little Angels, an all-girls Korean folk ballet company, performs in the Ritz Theatre in Tiffin. ... The company was founded in 1962 by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han, as a way to project a positive image of the country...}}</ref> In 1984, Han spoke at a Unification Church sponsored academic conference in [[Washington, D.C.]] to a crowd of 240 which included professors from [[Harvard]], [[Princeton University|Princeton]], [[Stanford]], [[University of Michigan]] and the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]] in [[Paris]].<ref>{{cite news | last =Isifoff | first =Michael | title =Church Spends Millions On Its Image | newspaper =[[Washington Post]] | date =September 17, 1984 | url =https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/unification/image.htm| access-date = November 20, 2009}}</ref>

In 1993, U.S. Senator [[Trent Lott]] supported the bill True Parents Day in the U.S. Senate and in 1995 U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] signed a bill into law called [[Parents Day]]; according to this law, children are to honor their parents on this day.<ref name="parentsday" /> In 1993, U.S. Senator [[Orrin Hatch]] introduced Han to a crowd at [[Capitol Hill]]; she stated at the event that she and Moon are the first True Parents. Moon was in the audience watching her speech, along with members of the [[United States Senate]] and [[United States House of Representatives]].<ref name="parentsday">{{cite news | title =Parents Day shows links of Moon's church to GOP | work =[[Mobile Register]] | page =A9 | date =July 30, 2000}}</ref>

===Wedding ceremonies===
[[File:TPblessing ceremony.jpg|thumb|Mass wedding ceremony conducted by Han and Moon.]]
Han and Moon together [[Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church|presided]] over the [[mass wedding]] ceremonies for which the Unification Church is noted. In 1997, they donned crowns and gold-trimmed robes to lead a mass wedding and [[marriage rededication ceremony]] in Washington, D.C. for 20,000 couples, 2,500 of them Unification Church members whose marriages had been arranged by Moon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WashingtonPost.com: The Cult Controversy |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/unification/wedd97.htm |access-date=July 7, 2023 |website=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref> Ministers of other religions acted as "co-officiators."<ref>[http://www.cesnur.org/testi/moon_1199.htm From the Unification Church to the Unification Movement, 1994-1999: Five Years of Dramatic Changes] Massimo Introvigne, [[Center for Studies on New Religions]] "The ceremony in Washington, D.C., included six "co-officiators" from other faiths, including controversial minister Louis Farrakhan from the Nation of Islam. The Blessing ceremony in Seoul on February 7, 1999 also featured seven co-officiators including Orthodox Rabbi Virgil Kranz (Chairman of the American Jewish Assembly), controversial Catholic Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo and the General Superintendent of the Church of God in Christ (a large African American Pentecostal denomination), Rev. T.L. Barrett."</ref> In 1997, Han presided with her husband over a marriage affirmation ceremony for 28,000 couples, some married and some newly engaged, in [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=November 30, 1997 |title=28,000 Couples Gather for Rev. Moon Rites |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/30/us/28000-couples-gather-for-rev-moon-rites.html |access-date=July 7, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> During the ceremony Han and Moon sprinkled [[holy water]] on the couples.<ref>{{Cite web |title=In pictures: Moonies' mass wedding |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/641588.stm |access-date=July 7, 2023 |website=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

===Women's Federation for World Peace===
In 1992, Han established the Women's Federation for World Peace with the support of many Unification Church members,<ref name="eventworks">{{cite news | last =Cuda | first =Amanda | title =Event works for understanding through friendships | work =[[Connecticut Post]] | page =Section: Womanwise | date =December 28, 2004 }}</ref><ref name="wifetospeak">{{cite news | last =Peterson | first =Thair | title =Bridging the Interracial Gap | work =[[Long Beach Press-Telegram]] | page =A3 | date =March 21, 1998 }}</ref><ref name="kansas">{{cite news | title =Moon's wife to speak in Lawrence | work =[[The Kansas City Star]] | page =E10 | date =June 19, 1993 }}</ref> and traveled the world speaking at conventions on its behalf.<ref name="bainbridge">{{cite book | last =Bainbridge | first =William Sims | author-link =William Sims Bainbridge | title =The Sociology of Religious Movements | publisher =Routledge | year =1997 | pages =203–205 | isbn = 0-415-91202-4}}</ref> Its purpose is to encourage women to work more actively in promoting peace in their communities and greater society,<ref name="kansas" /> and it includes 143 member countries.<ref name="wifetospeak" /> Han organized a conference in Tokyo in 1993, which was the first anniversary of the federation. The keynote speaker was former [[Second Lady of the United States]] [[Marilyn Tucker Quayle]], and in a speech at the event Han spoke positively of Quayle's humanitarian work.<ref name="shupe">{{cite book |last1=Shupe |first1=Anson D. |first2=Bronislaw |last2=Misztal | title =Religion, mobilization, and social action | publisher =Greenwood Publishing Group | year =1998 | pages =211, 213 | isbn =0-275-95625-3 }}</ref>

In 1993, Han traveled to 20 cities in the United States promoting the Women's Federation for World Peace,<ref name="bonham" /> as well as to 12 countries.<ref name="kansas" /> At a stop in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]] she told attendants: "If a family is not centered on God's ideal of love, there will be conflict among the members of that family. Without God's love as an absolute center, such a family will ultimately break down. A nation of such families will also decline."<ref name="bonham">{{cite news | last =Bonham | first =Nicole A. | title =Moon's Wife Urges Utah Women To Unite Family Against Corruption | work =[[The Deseret News]] | page =A8 | publisher =Deseret News Publishing Company | date =June 5, 1993 }}</ref> Her 1993 speeches in the United States focused on increasing violence in the U.S., and the degradation of the family unit.<ref>{{cite news | last =Graham | first =Jennifer | title =Rev. Moon's Wife to Speak: Activist Will Stump for World Peace Saturday at Fairgrounds | work =[[The State (newspaper)|The State]] | page =2B | date =July 16, 1993}}</ref>

In 1995, Han spoke at a federation event in [[Japan]] with former United States president [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref name="sullivan">{{cite news | last =Sullivan | first =Kevin | title =Bush Stresses Family In Tokyo Speech – Former President Addresses Followers of Unification Church Leader's Wife | newspaper =[[The Washington Post]] | page =A27 | date =September 15, 1995 }}</ref> Han spoke after Bush's speech and praised Bush, crediting him for the decline of communism and saying that he must save America from "the destruction of the family and moral decay."<ref name="sullivan" /><ref>{{cite news | title = Sept. 10-16; Mr. Bush's Asian Tour | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = September 17, 1995 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/17/weekinreview/sept-10-16-mr-bush-s-asian-tour.html | access-date =April 21, 2009}}</ref>

===Increasing influence===
In 1992, Moon increased Han's position of authority within the Unification Church and announced "True Mother was elevated to True Father's level horizontally."<ref name="stymied">{{cite news | last1 =Fisher | first1 =Marc |first2=Jeff |last2=Leen | title =Stymied in U.S., Moon's Church Sounds a Retreat | newspaper =[[The Washington Post]] | page =A1 | date =November 24, 1997}}</ref> Han has been Moon's successor and designated as leader of the Unification Church since 1993.<ref name="lewis" /><ref name="edwards">{{cite book | last =Edwards | first =Linda | title =A Brief Guide to Beliefs: Ideas, Theologies, Mysteries, and Movements | publisher =Westminster John Knox Press | year =2001 | page =[https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_s5t3/page/402 402] | isbn =0-664-22259-5 | url =https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_s5t3/page/402 }}</ref> [[Massimo Introvigne]] of the [[Center for Studies on New Religions]] writes in ''The Unification Church'' (2000):

<blockquote>The issue of succession is now of fundamental importance. The Reverend Moon will be eighty years old (by Korean age calculations, he turned eighty in 1999) in 2000. Mrs. Moon is fifty-seven years old. Since 1992 she has taken a more visible role, particularly in three world speaking tours in 1992, 1993, and 1999. Mrs. Moon has also spoken on Capitol Hill, at the United Nations, and in other parliaments around the world. Her relative youth and the respect with which she is held by the membership may be a point of stability for the Unification movement.<ref name="Introvigne">{{cite book | last =Introvigne | first =Massimo | author-link =Massimo Introvigne | title =The Unification Church (Studies in Contemporary Religions, 2) | publisher =[[Signature Books]]|year=2000|isbn=1-56085-145-7|pages=11, 33–34 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CESNUR - From the Unification Church to the Unification Movement, 1994-1999: Five Years of Dramatic Changes |url=https://www.cesnur.org/testi/moon_1199.htm |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=www.cesnur.org}}</ref></blockquote>

[[George D. Chryssides]] predicted, in his book ''Exploring New Religions'' (2001), that Han would lead the Unification Church and preside over Blessing ceremonies after Moon's death, since she would then be "the remaining True Parent."<ref name="Chryssides">{{cite book | last =Chryssides | first =George D. | author-link =George D. Chryssides | title =Exploring New Religions | publisher = Continuum International Publishing Group | year =2001 | page =134 | isbn =0-8264-5959-5 }}</ref>

In 2003, over 8,000 Unification Church members attended a ceremony in South Korea in which Han and Moon were remarried. This was said to be the fulfillment of the [[Marriage Supper of the Lamb]] written about in the [[Apocalypse of John]].<ref name="lewis" /> In 2010 [[National Public Radio]] reported that Unification Church services in the United States invoked the name of Han along with Moon in their opening greetings to congregants.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123805954&ps=cprs Unification Church Woos A Second Generation], [[Barbara Bradley Hagerty]], [[National Public Radio]], February 17, 2010</ref> In that same year, ''[[Forbes]]'' reported that Han was living in South Korea with her husband while their children took more responsibility for the day-to-day leadership of the Unification Church and its affiliated organizations.<ref name="fm2010">{{cite news | last =Kirk | first =Donald | title =Sons rise in a Moon's shadow| work =[[Forbes]]|url = https://www.forbes.com/global/2010/0412/enterprise-moon-sun-myung-spiritual-unification-world-revival.html | date = May 2, 2010|access-date=October 22, 2010}}</ref>

After Sun Myung Moon's death in 2012, Han became the leader of the [[Family Federation for World Peace and Unification]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cesnur.org/2017/moon-program.htm|title = Life and Legacy of Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Movements}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SCHISM in the Unification Church |first=Dan |last=Fefferman |url=http://www.cesnur.org/2016/daejin_fefferman.pdf |website=Cesnur}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/sep/2/rev-sun-myung-moon-founder-times-dies-92/|title=The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of The Times, dies at 92|newspaper=[[The Washington Times]]}}</ref><ref>[http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/asia/Unification_Church_pres_sees_smaller_mass_weddings_77510.shtml Unification Church pres sees smaller mass weddings] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090322013906/http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/asia/Unification_Church_pres_sees_smaller_mass_weddings_77510.shtml |date=March 22, 2009 }}, ''Daily Monitor'', December 30, 2008</ref>

===Family Federation for World Peace===
In 1996, Han went on a world tour, speaking on behalf of the [[Family Federation for World Peace]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maynard |first1=Steve | title =Wife of Rev. Sun Myung Moon to Speak | work =[[The News Tribune]] | page =B2 | date =October 19, 1996 }}</ref><ref name="lattin" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Chryssides |first1=George D. | author-link =George D. Chryssides |first2=Margaret |last2=Wilkins | title =A reader in new religious movements | publisher =Continuum International Publishing Group | year =2006| page =20 | isbn =0-8264-6168-9 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Gallagher |first1=Eugene V. |first2=W. Michael |last2=Ashcraft | title =Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America | publisher =Greenwood Publishing Group | year =2006 | page =43 | isbn = 0-275-98712-4}}</ref> Her speeches were given in cities across the United States, as well as countries including [[Korea]], [[Japan]], [[Italy]], and 16 other countries in [[South America]] and [[Central America]].<ref name="lattin">{{cite news | last =Lattin | first =Don | title =Rev. Moon Tries to Go Mainstream – Conferences draw blacks, GOP leaders | work =[[San Francisco Chronicle]] | page =A1 | publisher =The Chronicle Publishing Co.| date =October 31, 1996 }}</ref> In July 1996 she spoke at the Family Federation for World Peace's Inaugural World Convention at the [[National Building Museum]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="fisher">{{cite news | last =Fisher | first =Marc | title =Celebrities Pulled Into Moon's Orbit - Speakers Unaware of Conclave's Cult Link | newspaper =[[The Washington Post]] | page =E1| date =July 30, 1996 }}</ref> Han's closing address, called the "Founder's Address", was the climax of the proceedings.<ref name="billcosbyscowling">{{cite news | last =Fisher | first =Marc | title =Bill Cosby, Scowling At The Moons - Unsmiling Comic Performs At Church-Related Forum | newspaper =[[The Washington Post]] | page =C1 | date =August 1, 1996 }}</ref><ref name="fisher" />

===Coronation ceremony===
On March 23, 2004, Moon and Han were honored at an Ambassadors for Peace awards banquet held by the [[Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace]] (which is sponsored by the Unification Church) in a United States federal office building in [[Washington, D.C.]] It was called a "Crown of Peace" ceremony. At the event Moon stated that he was the [[Messiah]]. Over 12 United States lawmakers were in attendance. The event was criticized by some as a possible violation of the principle of [[separation of church and state]] in the United States.<ref name="babingtoncooperman">{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61932-2004Jun22.html| title=The Rev. Moon Honored at Hill Reception - Lawmakers Say They Were Misled |first1=Charles |last1=Babington |first2=Alan |last2=Cooperman |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]| date=June 23, 2004| pages=A01}}</ref><ref name="polliesparade">{{cite news | title = Pollies parade for Moon the Messiah | work = [[Sydney Morning Herald]] | date = June 25, 2006 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/25/1088144978300.html | access-date = April 21, 2009}}</ref>

===Universal Peace Federation===
In 2006, Han spoke in [[New Zealand]] on behalf of the Universal Peace Federation and called for traditional families, religious and cross-cultural tolerance, and a "peace tunnel" across the [[Bering Strait]] ([[Bering Strait crossing]]) connecting Russia and the United States.<ref name="NZH2006">{{cite news | title = Moonies show way to peace, says Tapsell | work = [[The New Zealand Herald]] | date = August 14, 2006 | url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10396082 | access-date =April 21, 2009}}</ref> In 2019 she spoke at a rally in Japan and called for greater understanding and cooperation between the [[Pacific Rim]] nations.<ref>{{cite news | title = Hak Ja Han Moon calls for South Korea Japan Solidarity | work = [[The Washington Times]] | date = October 6, 2019 | url = https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/oct/6/hak-ja-han-moon-calls-south-korea-japan-unity-univ/}}</ref> In 2020 Han spoke at a UPF sponsored in-person and virtual rally for Korean unification which drew about one million attendees.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wolfgang |first=Ben |date=November 22, 2020 |title='Rally of Hope' draws million attendees seeking Korean peace |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/nov/22/rally-hope-draws-million-attendees-seeking-korean-/ |access-date=July 7, 2023 |website=The Washington Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Peace Starts with Me ===
Hak Ja Han is the founder of the peace movement "Peace Starts with Me."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Oyebade |first=Wole |date=September 13, 2019 |title=African leaders, UPF hinge AfCFTA, SAATM on better cooperation |url=https://editor.guardian.ng/business-services/african-leaders-upf-hinge-afcfta-saatm-on-better-cooperation/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=September 3, 2023 |newspaper=[[The Guardian (Nigeria)|The Guardian]]|language=en-US |archive-date=December 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216034602/https://editor.guardian.ng/business-services/african-leaders-upf-hinge-afcfta-saatm-on-better-cooperation/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first= Bradford |last=Richardson |title=Unification Church, religious leaders call for American unity in the midst of division |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jul/16/unification-church-religious-leaders-call-for-amer/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=The Washington Times |language=en-US}}</ref> The Peace Starts With Me rallies are co-sponsored by the Family Federation for World Peace and Unity (FFWPU) and the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC). The first rally was held in 2017 in [[Madison Square Garden]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 10, 2019 |title=Peace Starts with Me, Featuring Bishop Noel Jones, Hezekiah Walker, Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell |url=https://praiserichmond.com/1545233/peace-starts-with-me-featuring-bishop-noel-jones-hezekiah-walker-yolanda-adams-kim-burrell/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=Praise 104.7 |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Rally of hope ===
Rally of Hope is a series of summits, real and virtual, that began in August 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic made large in-person gatherings impossible.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Universal Peace Federation hosts Rally of Hope, a virtual summit |url=http://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/97746/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=My Republica |language=en}}</ref><ref name="journal.com.ph">{{Cite web |date=January 27, 2022 |title=Global Summit To Examine Ways To Bring Peace To The Korean Peninsula |website=[[People's Journal]] |url=https://journal.com.ph/global-summit-to-examine-ways-to-bring-peace-to-the-korean-peninsula/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> At each Rally of Hope, global leaders raised important topics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, poverty, environmental pollution, religious freedom, honoring Korean War veterans, and international security.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Risk George Inds A (RSKIA) Quote - Press Release |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/markets/stocks/RSKIA/pressreleases/4472511/ |access-date=September 3, 2023}}</ref>

Former U.S. President [[Donald Trump]] spoke about the security situation on the Korean Peninsula at the Rally of Hope event, a conference organized by Hak Ja Han.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shoaib |first=Alia |title=Trump spoke at a 9/11 'Moonies' conference organized by the widow of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, praising the controversial Unification Church |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-speaks-at-moonies-911-event-praises-unification-church-2021-9 |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Fautre">{{Cite web |last=Fautre |first=Willy |author-link=Willy Fautré |date=February 13, 2022 |title=The UPF: Moon Front or a Respected NGO? |url=https://europeantimes.news/2022/02/the-upf-moon-front-or-a-respected-ngo/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=European Times |language=en-GB}}</ref>

[[Ban Ki-moon]], former Secretary General of the UN, [[Newt Gingrich]], former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, President of Senegal [[Macky Sall]], Niger Prime Minister Rafini, Cambodian Prime Minister [[Hun Sen]] and other world leaders participated in the virtual Rally of Hope 2020 entitled ''World Rally of Hope: Building and Renewing Our Nations in the Post-Covid-19 World: Interdependence, Mutual Prosperity and Universal Values''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=News Analysis: Actions Speak Louder Than Words in the Fight against COVID-19 |url=https://www.information.gov.kh/articles/2092 |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=Information.gov.kh}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 11, 2020 |title=Actions speak louder than words in COVID-19 fight |work=Khmer Times |url=https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50754030/actions-speak-louder-than-words-in-covid-19-fight/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Savi |first=Khorn |title=Hun Sen stresses international cooperation at peace summit |url=https://phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-stresses-international-cooperation-peace-summit |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=Phnom Penh Post |language=en}}</ref>

=== Leadership and Good Governance Award ===

The Leadership and Good Governance Award is given to those who demonstrate excellence in leadership, along with moral and spiritual principles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sochan |first=Ry |title=Hun Sen receives award for leadership |url=https://phnompenhpost.com/national/hun-sen-receives-award-leadership |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=Phnom Penh Post |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 19, 2019 |title=PM Hun Sen Granted "Leadership and Good Governance" Award at Asia-Pacific Summit 2019 |url=http://en.freshnewsasia.com/index.php/en/localnews/15972-2019-11-19-06-09-43.html |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=FRESH NEWS |language=en-gb}}</ref>

=== World Summit ===
The 2022 World Summit was sponsored by the UPF and the Kingdom of [[Cambodia]]. The Summit brought together world leaders to discuss peace on the Korean Peninsula. Hak Ja Han, co-founder of the UPF, hosted the summit, co-chaired by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=Global Summit in South Korea 10-13 February 2022 |url=http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/5/398429 |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=Voxy |language=en}}</ref><ref name="The Seoul Times">{{Cite web |title=Global Summit Gathers World Leaders on Peaceful Reconciliation of the Korean Peninsula |url=https://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=14584 |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=The Soul Times}}</ref> This summit was a continuation of the summit in February and the "Seoul Resolution" signed by former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, which called for the creation of a united Korea as one nation with two states.<ref name="persportaal.anp.nl">{{Cite web |title=Impression of the International Summit in South Korea |url=https://persportaal.anp.nl/artikel/84a06d0b-6a6b-49e3-92e9-6805f9dc8605/impression-of-the-international-summit-in-south-korea |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=ANP Perssupport |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="journal.com.ph"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lord Fakafanua calls on the International Community to continue to work together to build peace, trust and reconciliation. |url=https://www.parliament.gov.to/~parliam1/media-centre/latest-news/latest-news-in-english/885-lord-fakafanua-calls-on-the-international-community-to-continue-to-work-together-to-build-peace-trust-and-reconciliation |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=www.parliament.gov.to |archive-date=September 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920095042/https://www.parliament.gov.to/~parliam1/media-centre/latest-news/latest-news-in-english/885-lord-fakafanua-calls-on-the-international-community-to-continue-to-work-together-to-build-peace-trust-and-reconciliation |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Little Angels ===
[[Little Angels Children's Folk Ballet of Korea]] is a children's folklore ballet group of the Unification Church, founded by Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han Moon.<ref name="persportaal.anp.nl"/>

=== Think Tank 2022 ===

Hak helped organize Think Tank 2022, a peace forum in which expert working groups connected with international UPF associations and led peace-building initiatives such as the UN Peace Park in the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas, the construction of the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel, helping to reunite separated Korean families and other initiatives for peace.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Think Tank 2022: Peaceful reunification of Korean Peninsula will lead to "explosive growth" |url=http://www.theasian.asia/archives/110407 |access-date=September 3, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 15, 2021 |title="Think Tank 2022" To Reunify Korean Peninsula Inaugurated During Virtual 6th Rally Of Hope |url=https://backup.marketinginasia.com/2021/05/15/think-tank-2022-to-reunify-korean-peninsula-inaugurated-during-virtual-6th-rally-of-hope/ |website=marketinginasia.com |access-date=September 3, 2023 |archive-date=October 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019213532/https://backup.marketinginasia.com/2021/05/15/think-tank-2022-to-reunify-korean-peninsula-inaugurated-during-virtual-6th-rally-of-hope/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace ===
Hak Ja Han founded the [[International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace]] (IAPP) with the aim of gathering parliamentarians from all over the world, who, together with representatives of religious organizations and the civil sector, should work to build peace in the world and solve local, national and global problems.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=Thomas G. |date=August 30, 2017 |title=Parliamentarians' Association formed to focus on peace |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/aug/30/parliamentarians-association-formed-to-focus-on-pe/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=The Washington Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 17, 2017 |title=International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace Uganda Chapter Launched |url=https://chimpreports.com/international-association-of-parliamentarians-for-peace-uganda-chapter-launched/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=ChimpReports |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 22, 2019 |title=Lokodo, Betty Aol to Head Association of Parliamentarians for Peace |url=https://chimpreports.com/lokodo-betty-aol-to-head-association-of-parliamentarians-for-peace/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=ChimpReports |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Sunhak Peace Prize ===

The Sunhak Peace Prize was proposed by Hak Ja Han months after her husband's death. The name of the prize is derived from both their names.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Cheryl |last=Wetzstein |title=$1M Sunhak Peace Prize names first two winners |url=https://www.worldfoodprize.org/index.cfm/87428/40287/1m_sunhak_peace_prize_names_first_two_winners |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=World Food Prize |language=en-us}}</ref>

==2025 arrest==
On September 23, 2025, following a Seoul court hearing, Han Hak-ja was arrested on bribery charges alleging she had given two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace, together worth 80 million won ($57,900; £42,500) to former South Korea first lady [[Kim Keon Hee]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjedkdy7ljno|title='Moonies' church leader arrested over gifts to ex-South Korean first lady|first=Kelly|last=Ng|publisher=BBC News|date=September 23, 2025|accessdate=September 23, 2025}}</ref><ref name=september2025arrest /><ref>{{cite web |title=Exclusive: Court: Unification Church Leader Ordered Necklace Gift to Former First Lady |url=https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/01/29/2N3MY3ZGRRARDMTRFWK2AOH4HI/ |website=The Chosun Daily |access-date=4 February 2026 |language=en |date=29 January 2026}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Unification movement people]]
*[[Unification Church of the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.unification.net/hjh/ Speeches of Mrs. Hak Ja Han Moon], at www.unification.net
*[https://tplegacy.net/author/hak-ja-han-moon/ Words and Speeches of Hak Ja Han Moon], at True Parents Legacy

{{Unification Church}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Hak Ja}}
[[Category:South Korean Unificationists]]
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from South Pyongan Province]]
[[Category:South Korean religious leaders]]
[[Category:20th-century South Korean women]]
[[Category:21st-century South Korean women]]
[[Category:South Korean people of North Korean origin]]