Chambumo Gyeong - 379. 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. (372-327, 2002/03/25) 6 Currendy 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. (574-248, 2007/09/04) 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 todays 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. (443-203, 2004/03/23) 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. (311-218, 1999/09/10) 9 I built the automobile factory in North Korea with Kim Il-sung's personal permission. In fact, Kim Il-sung requested that I design both Mt. Geumgang tourism and the automobile factory. Therefore, I need to hand these over once they get going. There are many things with regard to these enterprises that Kim Il-sung and I decided jointly. The fact that Kim Il-sung did not announce all the details of this business development is something to be thankful for. I have a foundation in each nation through our world peace activism. It is well known that I can inspire support to help the world through an automobile factory. (311-220, 1999/09/10) 10 Near the Botong River in Pyongyang is the Botonggang Hotel, managed by our Japanese members. There one can watch television broadcasts from America, Japan and South Korea around the clock. There is no other place in North Korea where this is possible. This reflects the extent of North Korea's considerable trust in me. The Botonggang Hotel is usually fully booked with foreign guests.
North Korea may not trust anyone who goes in and out of the hotel, whether it be a group or an individual, but they trust the 15 Japanese people who manage the hotel. Twelve of them have given birth to children there and are able to travel freely to and from Japan. Even though their in-country travel is restricted, none of them has complained. North Korea trusts only these people, because it believes they will keep their promises and not break the law.
Who taught these Japanese people to behave this way? When the North Koreans compare the Japanese members, who live without a word of complaint, with citizens of their communist society, they see a huge gap. This is why Unification Church members are welcomed in North Korea. North Korea will not allow any South Korean government official to enter, but it will welcome any Unification Church member. (281-105, 1997/01/02) 11 After I visited North Korea, I laid not only the economic foundation for the North but also its foundation for communication with the free world. Installing a satellite antenna at the Botonggang Hotel enabled guests to watch broadcasts from the free world. I assisted the North in making preparations for broadcasting its own programs. And beyond that, I proposed a market system they could use and helped them understand it. (262-175, 1994/07/23) |