Chambumo Gyeong - 440. llhwa Chunma
On March 18, 1989, True Parents founded the llhwa Chunma Soccer Team to realize world peace through soccer. The team won league titles three years in a row, from 1993 to 1995, in Korea's Professional Soccer League (K-League). It reached the semifinals in the Asian Champions League in 1995, and took first place at the Afro-Asian Club Championship in 1996. Accordingly, it was acclaimed as the top soccer club by the Asian Soccer Federation in 1995 and 1996. And again, for three years in a row from 2001 to 2003, llhwa won the K-League championship and was hailed as Korea's most successful soccer team. 1 The name of our soccer team is llhwa. Why was it named llhwa? I decided on that name because it is a good name. llhwa means to be harmonized as one or to become unified. One Chinese character, hwa {it), is the character we use in the word "chemistry," hwahak (ft#)- The Chinese character hwa here means that the substance is being changed. When wood changes into another substance, this process is described as a chemical reaction. The other Chinese character hwa (ft]) in llhwa (—ft]) implies that the substance is unchanged, even though it may harmonize with 1,000 different entities of varying nature and individuality. (238-159, 1992/11/22) 2 Was making the llhwa Chunma Soccer Team a good thing or not? Something like this is beyond the usual scope and work of a religious leader. What is my relationship with this? Nothing raises the spirit of Korean people more than soccer. We must stand in the vanguard as a model that is proud of that strength in front of the world. Soccer really enables Koreans to show that strength. If I had not founded a soccer team, Korean soccer would be in a dismal state today. The soccer team I established won the national championship three years running. They became Asian champions and then Afro-Asian champions, and in this way they became famous. Our team also went to South America and played against Brazilian and Argentinian teams. (283-247, 1997/04/13) 3 Young people should advance into the world of the future. The question is how to stimulate their spirit. For that reason, athletic training is necessary. Participating in athletics has great power to quickly create such a spirit. I have been thinking about this for years, and thus became interested in athletics. No matter how much one tries to describe to someone the spirit and feeling of the moment of victory, nobody can understand it if they have never experienced it. That is why athletic training is very effective for strengthening the spirit, and this is why I promote sports. Up to now, I have taken a leading role in such sports events as a cultural Olympics and interreligious sports meetings. But why am I interested in soccer? It is because it requires complex and varied athletic skills. (237-319, 1992/11/18) 4 Even young ladies begin to develop great interest in soccer when they become acquainted with it. Countries like England, Italy and Germany have amazing soccer stadiums. Soccer inspires enthusiasm and national pride. This sport brings young people together and generates explosive energy and spirit. For that reason, I am interested in soccer. I do not know how much money we invest annually into soccer. We invest in it because it is a foothold to challenge society. Until now, religious organizations have usually tried to isolate themselves or escape from society, but the Unification Church challenges society. We religious organizations should present a challenge to society through sports, especially soccer. (237-320, 1992/11/18) 5 Nothing raises the spirit more than sports. The FIFA World Cup is a good example. Thousands of people in the audience go wild with excitement when a goal is scored. Think about it. It is similar with ballet and other forms of dance; because people are so impressed, they applaud even when told not to. Who tells them to applaud? They applaud spontaneously. When you are asked, "Which team is playing?" and you answer, "The Unification Church team," people will come to think about the Unification Church. Moreover, if you are asked, "Who made this team?" and you answer, "Reverend Moon did," then everyone will gradually come to like the Unification Church. While going around the world, you can play soccer matches anytime. If you play soccer every season, it will feel different according to the time of the year. Sports and the arts can move the masses around the world to follow a single purpose, and they always create an enthusiastic spirit. (237-326, 1992/11/18) 6 We do not focus on soccer in order to earn money. In the future, we have to invest the money in educational institutions for the world of soccer. We have to establish educational institutions and associations in the world of the arts, as well as the world of sports. We must instill a thorough vision for humanity. We must improve the ethical and moral foundations of these popular endeavors. (401-133, 2003/01/06) |