평화의 어머니 6 - 3. 목숨을 담보로 찾아간 곳

[대태양/김현수]

평화의 어머니
6장 평화의 어머니, 동토를 넘어 세상 끝까지

3. 목숨을 담보로 찾아간 곳

1 나는 1948년에 자유를 찾아 삼팔선을 넘어 남한으로 내려왔습니다. 남편 문 총재는 흥남감옥에 갇혀 있다가 1950년 10월 유엔국이 감옥을 폭격하면서 문이 열려 자유의 문이 되었습니다. 

2 북한에서는 유엔국의 폭격이 심해지면서 복역 기간이 오래된 수용자부터 어디론가 데려가 처형하기 시작했습니다. 다음 날 끌려갈 예정이었는데 하루 전에 일어난 일이었습니다. 하늘은 그 절박함을 외면하지 않고 유엔군을 통해 문 총재가 남한으로 내려올 수 있도록 인도하셨습니다. 이후 1991년까지 나와 남편은 40여 년 동안 한 번도 고향에 가지 못했습니다.

3 우리 부부는 세계의 구석구석을 다니며 하나님의 말씀을 전파했으나 정작 한 시간이면 갈 수 있는 북한에는 가지 못했습니다. 북한에서 남하한 실향민이라면 누군가 마찬가지겠지만, 고향을 지척에 두고도 갈 수 없는 그리움과 애달픔은 그 무엇으로도 위로가 되지 않습니다. 그러나 우리 부부가 북한에 가려 했던 이유는 단지 '고향이 그리워서'가 아니었습니다.

4 한반도는 우리의 뜻과 관계없이 둘로 나누어졌습니다. 그것을 한탄만 할 것이 아니라 이제는 분단을 끝내고 평화통일을 이루어야 할 책임이 우리에게 있습니다. 한반도에서 대결과 갈등을 없애는 것은 세계평화를 열어 가는 첫 단추입니다. 고르바초프 대통령을 만나고 돌아온 우리 부부는 1991년이 가기 전에 북한의 김일성 주석을 만나야겠다고 결심했습니다. 그 결심은 보통 사람들의 눈에는 결코 현실화할 수 없는 불가능한 꿈이었습니다.

5 문 총재는 광복 직후 북한에서 전도를 하다가 이승만의 첩자라는 혐의로 대동보안서에 갇혔습니다. 혹독한 고문을 받아 죽기 직전에 풀려났습니다. 얼마 후에는 사회질서 문란이라는 얼토당토않은 죄목으로 또 체포되어, 흥남감옥에서 복역하며 강제노동에 시달렸습니다. 자유의 몸이 되기까지 2년 8개월 동안 이루 말할 수 없는 고초를 겪었습니다.

6 나의 어머니와 외할머니 역시 단지 하나님을 믿는다는 이유로 공산주의 체제에서 옥에 갇혀 고초를 겪고 석방되었습니다. 이후 자유를 찾아 끝내는 고향을 떠날 수밖에 없었고 가족과도 헤어져야 했습니다. 그 험난했던 탈출의 여정을 나는 잊지 않고 있습니다. 또 1975년 6월 120만 명이 넘는 인파가 여의도광장에 모여 구국세계대회를 개최하는 등 세계 곳곳에서 승공운동을 벌이자 김일성이 우리를 암살하려 한다는 정보도 여러 차례 접했습니다.

7 그러나 우리 부부는 헤아릴 수 없는 모든 사연들을 가슴에 묻어 두었습니다. 단지 남북화해를 위해 쉬지 않고 기도하자 응답이 왔습니다. 1991년 11월 중순에 김일성 주석이 우리 부부를 초청했습니다. 꽁꽁 봉해진 초청장을 미국에서 비밀리에 받았습니다. 아무에게도 말하지 않고 나는 겨울 옷을 챙겼습니다. 그리고 하와이에 있는 수련소로 갔습니다. 사람들은 의아했습니다.
"하와이는 지금 여름인데 왜 겨울 옷을 가져가실까?"

8 우리 부부는 수련소 한쪽에 겨울 옷이 가득 든 가방을 놓아 두고 기도에 전념했습니다. 북한으로 가기 전 마음 한구석에 맺혀 있던 응어리를 모두 풀어야 했습니다. 40여 년 전 우리를 핍박했던 김일성을 용서해야 했습니다.

9 자신을 죽이려고 했던 원수로만 생각하면 용서할 수 없습니다. 부모의 자리, 어머니의 심정에서만 용서할 수 있습니다. 형장에 나가는 아들을 살리기 위해 그 어머니는 그 나라의 법이라도 바꾸려 합니다. 그것이 본연의 어머니 마음입니다. 나는 그런 어머니의 사랑으로 원수를 용서하리라 다짐했습니다. 북한에서 무사히 돌아올 수 있도록 해달라는 기도는 하지 않았습니다.

10 기도하고 또 기도하는 무거운 시간이 흘러갔습니다. 여호수아가 여리고성을 일곱 바퀴 돌고 나자 굳건한 성이 무너졌듯이 하와이의 섬을 여러 차례 돌며 정성을 드렸습니다. 마음속에 쌓여 있던 옛 감정이 모두 사라지자 우리 부부는 그제야 몇몇 사람에게 북한에 간다고 일러주었습니다.

11 "원수를 만나러 그곳까지 가시겠다니······너무 위험합니다."
"북한에 가는 것은 모스크바에 가는 것과 완전히 다릅니다."
"김일성이 절대 입국을 허락하지 않을 겁니다."
"아니, 입국한다 해도 북한을 출국할 수 있다는 보장이 없습니다."
주위에서는 혹시나 하는 노파심에 별의별 걱정을 했습니다.


12 그러나 지난날의 사적인 감정에 머물러 있을 수는 없었습니다. 우리 부부는 마치 성경에 나오는 야곱이 그를 죽이려던 형 에서를 천신만고 끝에 지혜와 정성으로 감동시켰듯이, 김일성 주석을 진심으로 용서하고 사랑으로 보듬어야 한다는 것을 알고 있었습니다. 그것은 진실한 부모의 심정이 아니고서는 그야말로 불가능한 일이었습니다.

13 며칠 후 우리는 담담한 마음으로 베이징으로 갔습니다. 공항 대합실에서 기다리자 북한 대표가 공식 초청문서를 건네주었습니다. 초청장에는 평양의 관인이 선명하게 찍혀 있었습니다. 11월 30일, 우리 일행은 김 주석이 보낸 조선민항 특별기 JS215편을 타고 북으로 향했습니다. 비행기는 우리를 위해 남편의 고향인 정주 상공을 지나 평양으로 기수를 돌렸습니다.

14 비행기가 평안도를 지날 때 청천강이 내려다보였습니다. 파란 물결이 마치 손에 잡힐 듯 했습니다. 분명 우리 강토이건만 남북으로 갈라져 올 수 없었던 지난 40여 년의 세월이 통한스럽기만 했습니다. 평양 순안공항에 도착하자 차가운 겨울바람을 맞으며 남편의 혈육들이 기다리고 있었습니다.

15 남편은 '우리 집사람'이라고 나를 소개했습니다. 그들은 모두 할머니 할아버지가 되어 우리 손을 잡고 하염없이 눈물만 흘렸습니다. 그러나 나와 남편은 울지 않았습니다. 가슴속에서는 폭포같은 눈물이 솟구쳤지만 입술을 깨물며 꾹 참았습니다.

16 우리는 모란관초대소에 도착했고, 남편은 북한 사람들을 앞에 두고 연설을 했습니다. 나와 남편은 평화와 통일을 위해서라면 죽음도 불사하겠다는 각오였습니다.

17 다음 날 우리 부부는 평생의 습관대로 새벽에 일어나 기도를 했습니다. 만일 영빈관에 감시 카메라가 있었다면 한반도 통일을 위해 울부짖는 그 기도가 모두 녹화되었을 것입니다. 아침을 먹고는 평양 시내도 둘러보았습니다.

18 3일째에 만수대의사당에서 한 연설은 이제 전설이 됐습니다. 주체왕국인 북한의 심장부에서 주체사상을 비판하고 "김일성 주체사상으로는 남북한을 통일할 수 없다. 통일교회가 제시하는 하나님주의와 두익(頭翼)사상으로만이 남북한이 평화적으로 통일되고 전 세계를 주도할 수 있는 나라가 된다"고 큰소리로 거침없이 말했습니다. 나아가 그들의 상투어가 된 '한국전쟁은 북침'이라는 주장에 대해 '남침'이라고 정면에서 통박했습니다.

19 놀라지 않은 사람이 없었습니다. 권총을 허리에 찬 북한 경호원들이 금방이라도 총을 빼들고 달려들 기세였습니다. 동행한 우리 식구들의 손과 등에는 식은 땀이 흘렀습니다. 그동안 나는 남편과 전 세계를 순방하며 각국 정상들을 많이 만났지만, 평양 방문 때는 정말로 비장한 각오와 심각한 결의를 다지지 않을 수 없었습니다.

20 6일째 되던 날 헬리콥터 두 대에 나눠 타고 정주에 갔습니다. 김 주석의 지시로 도로를 잘 닦아 두었고, 양친 산소에 떼를 입히고 비석도 세워 놓았습니다. 생가에는 페인트칠을 하고 토방과 마당에 모래를 깔아 새로 단장했습니다. 남편은 부모님의 묘소를 찾아 꽃을 바쳤습니다. 나의 고향 안주 하늘이 아스라이 바라보였습니다. 아늑하게 나를 품어 주었던 고향집은 그대로 있을까, 뒷밭에는 요즘도 옥수수가 자라고 있을까, 외할아버지의 묘소는 어디에 있을까······모든 것이 궁금했습니다. 그러나 나는 아무런 내색도 하지 않았습니다.

21 우리가 북한에 간 이유는 고향에 가고 싶어서도 아니고 금강산을 구경하고 싶어서도 아니었습니다. 김일성 주석을 만나 조국의 장래를 놓고 담판을 지으러 간 것입니다. 그 역사적 소명 앞에서 사사로이 내 감정을 내비쳐서는 안 되었습니다. 훗날 언젠가는 누구나 자유롭게 고향을 찾을 수 있는 날이 오리라 믿었습니다.

22 7일째가 되어서야 우리는 드디어 김 주석을 만났습니다. 함경남도 마전에 있는 주석공관에 들어서자 김 주석이 기다리고 있었습니다. 공관은 하얀 돌집이었습니다. 누가 먼저랄 것도 없이 남편과 김 주석은 서로를 반갑게 얼싸안았습니다. 김 주석은 한복을 입은 나에게 정중히 인사를 했습니다.

23 우리는 식사를 하면서 사냥이며 낚시 등 소소한 이야기들을 스스럼없이 나눴습니다. 김 주석은 이듬해 계획된 3만 쌍 국제합동결혼식을 해당화가 아름다운 원산의 명사십리에서 하도록 추천했습니다. 원산항 개항도 약속했습니다. 그러자 갑자기 할 말이 너무 많아져 이야기가 끊이지 않았습니다. 남편은 40여 년 만에 만나는 원수를 깊고 진한 사랑으로 품었습니다. 김 주석도 그 진정성에 감복해 회담 내내 밝은 모습으로 우리 제안을 받아들였습니다.

24 그 시절 북한을 찾아가는 것은 그야말로 생명을 건 모험이었습니다. 문 총재는 공산주의자들이 제일 싫어하는 종교 창시자인 동시에 세계 제일의 승공 지도자였습니다. 그런 땅에 우리는 오직 하나님을 의지하고 들어가 최고통치자에게 천명을 받아들여야 한다고 충고했습니다.

25 우리의 방북은 합작투자나 사업을 위해서가 아니었습니다. 세상에서 흔히 말하는 딴마음을 품고 가지 않았습니다. 오로지 섭리의 뜻을 따라 진정으로 위하는 하나님의 마음, 참사랑을 품고 공산주의자들을 깨우쳐 진정한 통일의 물꼬를 트기 위함이었습니다.

26 북한에 머무는 동안 국빈의 예우를 받았으나 하룻밤도 편안하게 잠을 자지 못했습니다. 아직 통일을 이루지 못해 이산가족들이 서로 애타게 그리워하는데 평양에 와서 편히 누워 잘 수 만은 없었습니다. 밤새워 사무치는 기도로 천운을 연결시키고 하나님 앞에 통일을 위한 조건을 세우면서 밤을 지새웠습니다.

27 한반도의 통일은 정치협상이나 경제교류만으로는 이루어지지 않습니다. 하나님의 참사랑에 의해서만 통일이 이루어집니다. 숱한 고비들을 넘기고 성사된 김일성 주석과의 회담으로 남북한 통일을 위한 새 장이 열렸습니다.

28 우리가 8일간의 여정을 마치고 평양을 떠나자마자 연형묵 북한 경무원 총리가 대표단을 이끌고 서울에 왔습니다. 그리고 '한반도 비핵화 공동선언'에 조인했습니다.

29 우리 부부는 공산주의가 절정에 달했던 시기에 목숨을 걸고 모스크바에 갔으며, 평양에도 갔습니다. 우리를 혹독하게 핍박했던 원수들을 반갑게 껴안았습니다. 그럼으로써 그들의 마음을 움직여 서로 화해하게 했습니다.

30 그렇게 평화와 통일의 초석을 깔았습니다. 무엇을 얻기 위해서가 아니라 진정한 참사랑을 주려고 갔던 결과였습니다. 남편과 나는 하나님을 위해서라면 용서할 수 없는 일을 용서했고, 인류를 위해서라면 사랑할 수 없는 원수까지도 사랑했습니다.

31 김일성을 만나고 온 후 북한에 평화자동차공장을 세웠고, 보통강호텔과 세계평화센터도 지었습니다. 그런 일들은 전부 통일을 위한 초석이 될 것입니다. 이후 한국의 대통령이 북한을 방문해 통일의 길을 찾아가는 성과를 거둔 것도 우리 부부가 뿌린 씨앗의 결실이었습니다. 이제 그 밑거름 위에서 평화와 통일의 싹이 자라고 있습니다. 그 싹이 활짝 꽃을 피울 때 우리 부부가 드린 통일을 위한 염원의 기도는 영원히 기억될 것입니다.

平和の母
第六章　平和の母、凍土を越えて世界の果てまで

3. 命を預けて訪ねた場所

私は一九四八年、自由を求め、三八度線を越えて韓国の地に来ました。一方、夫の文総裁はその頃、興南監獄に囚われていましたが、一九五〇年十月に国連軍が監獄を爆撃する中で解放され、自由の身となりました。

興南監獄では、国連軍の爆撃が激しくなると服役期間の長い人からどこかに連れ出され、処刑が始まったといいます。そして、ちょうど文総裁の番が回ってくるという中で、解放されたのです。天はこの切迫した状況をしっかりと目に留め、国連軍を通して、文総裁が南に下りていけるように導かれました。しかしその後、四十年以上経って一九九一年になるまで、私と夫は一度も故郷のある北の地に行けなかったのです。

私たち夫婦は世界を隅々まで回り、神様のみ言を伝えましたが、ほんの一時間で行ける北朝鮮には行けませんでした。北から南に下りてきた失郷民であれば、誰もがそうでしょうが、慕わしい故郷を目の前にしながらもそこに帰れないという切なさは、何をもってしても慰められません。しかし、私たち夫婦が北朝鮮に行こうとしていた理由は、単に「故郷が恋しいから」ではありませんでした。

韓半島は、私たちの思いとは全く関係なしに、二つに分かれてしまいました。それを嘆いてばかりいるわけにはいきません。私たちには分断を終わらせ、平和統一を成し迷げる責任があります。韓半島から対立と葛藤をなくすことが、世界平和を実現する第一歩です。ゴルバチョフ大統領との会談を終えて帰ってきた私たち夫婦は、一九九一年が終わる前に、北朝鮮の金日成主席に会うことを決心しました。その決心は、普通の人から見れば現実的には不可能な夢物語でした。

文総裁は第二次世界大戦が終わった直後、北に行って伝道をしていたところ、李承晩のスパイだと疑われ、大同保安署に収監されました。過酷な拷問を受け、死ぬ一歩手前で釈放されましたが、しばらくするとまた、社会秩序の紊乱というでたらめな罪状で逮捕され、興南監獄に服役しながら強制労働をさせられました。そこで自由の身となるまで二年八カ月の間、言い表せない苦難を味わったのです。

私の母と祖母もまた、ただ神様を信じているという理由から、共産主義統治下で監獄に入れられ、あらゆる苦難を経た末にようやく釈放されました。その後も、自由を求めてついには故郷を離れざるを得なくなり、家族とも別れなければなりませんでした。あの困難な脱出の旅を、私は忘れません。

また、一九七五年六月に百二十万を超える人々をソウルの汝矣島広場に集めて開催した救国世界大会をはじめ、私たちは世界各地で勝共運動を展開してきましたが、その中で、金日成主席が私たちを暗殺しようとしているという情報が何度も入りました。

しかし私たち夫婦は、それら数え切れないほどの事情を、すべて胸に納めました。そして、ただ南北の和解のために休まず祈っていたところ、一九九一年に入って動きがあり、金日成主席が私たち夫婦を招請したのです。

しっかりと封がされた招請状を、私たちはアメリカで秘密裏に受け取りました。私は誰に何を言うこともなく、冬服をトランクに詰め、文総裁と共にハワイの修練所に向かいました。周りの人々は不思議に思うばかりでした。

「ハワイは年中、暖かいのに、なぜ冬服を持って行かれるのだろう？」

私たち夫婦は、冬服をたくさん詰めたトランクを修練所の隅に置いておき、祈縛に専念しました。北朝鮮に行く前に、心の片隅に残っていたしこりをすべてほぐさなければならなかったのです。四十年以上前から、私たちを迫害してきた金日成主席を許さなければなりませんでした。

自分を殺そうとした怨讐としてのみ相手を考えてしまえば、許すことはできないでしょう。しかし、 父母の立場、母の心情に立てば、許すことができるのです。刑場に出ていく息子を救うためなら、母親は国の法すら変えたいと思います。それが本然の父母の心です。私はそのような父母の愛をもって、怨讐を許そうと決意しました。北朝鮮から無事に帰ってこられるようにしてほしい、という祈りはしませんでした。

祈りに没頭する、重い時間が流れました。ヨシュアが堅固なエリコ城を崩すため、その周りを七周したように、私たち夫婦はハワイの島を行き来しながら精誠を尽くしました。そして、心の中に積もり積もっていたしこりがすべて消え去った後、ようやく何人かの信徒に、北朝鮮に行くことを伝えたのです。

「怨讐に会うため、そんな所にまで行くなんて……あまりに危険です」

「北朝鮮に行くというのは、モスクワに行くのとは全く訳が違います」

「金日成主席は絶対に入国を許可しないでしょう」

「たとえ入国できたとしても、北朝鮮から出国できるという保証はありません」

周りの人々は万が一のことを考え、あらゆる心配をしてくれました。

しかし、過ぎし日の私的な感情にとどまっているわけにはいきませんでした。聖書には、ヤコブが彼を殺そうとした兄工サウを、千辛万苦の末、知恵と真心によって感動させたと記されています。そのように、私たち夫婦は金日成主席を心から許し、愛で抱きかかえなければならないことが分かっていました。それは、真実なる父母の心情でなければ、不可能なことでした。

数日後、私たちは澄み切った心で中国の北京に向かいました。北京空港の待合室で待機していると、北朝鮮の代表が来て、公式の招請文書を手渡してくれました。招請状には平壌の官印が鮮明に押されていました。そうして十一月三十日、私たち一行は金主席が送ってくれた朝鮮民航特別機JS215便に乗り込み、北に向かったのです。

飛行機は私たちのために、夫の故郷である定州の上空を通過した後、平壌に向かいました。飛行機が平安道を通る時、窓の外を見下ろすと清川江が見えました。青々とした水の流れがまるで手でつかめるようでした。確かに私たちの山河ではあっても、南北に分かれ、訪れることのできなかった四十年余りの歳月に、心が痛んで仕方がありませんでした。

平壌の順安空港に到着すると、冷たい木枯らしに吹かれながら、夫の家族と親族が待っていました。夫が「私の妻です」と言って、私を紹介してくれました。彼らはみなずいぶん年を取っており、私たちの手を握ったまま、ただ涙を流すばかりでした。しかし、私と夫は泣きませんでした。心の中では滝のように涙があふれていましたが、唇を噛み、ぐっとこらえたのです。

牡丹峰迎賓館に到着後、夫は北朝鮮の人々を前にして演説を行いました。 夫と私は平和と統一のためなら、命を差し出すことも辞さないという覚悟でした。

翌日の十二月一日、私たち夫婦は日頃の習慣どおり、明け方に起き、祈祷をしました。もし迎賓館に監視カメラがあったならば、韓半島の統一のために慟哭しながら祈る姿が、すべて録画されているでしょう。朝食を食べてからは、平壌市内を見て回りました。

訪朝三日目となる十二月二日に万寿台議事堂で行った演説は、今や伝説となっています。主体思想の王国である北朝鮮の心臓部で、主体思想を批判し、「主体思想では南北を統一することはできない。統一教会が提示する神主義と頭翼思想によってのみ、南北が平和裏に統一され、全世界を主導する国になれる」と、誰にはばかることもなく、大声で語ったのです。さらに、彼らの常套句となっていた「韓国動乱は北への侵略である」という主張に対して、「南への侵略だ」と、正面から反駁しました。

誰もが驚かずにはいられませんでした。拳銃を腰に付けた北朝鮮の警護員が、すぐにでも銃を抜いて駆け寄ってきそうな雰囲気でした。同行していた信徒たちは、一様に冷や汗を流したことでしょう。これまで私は、夫と世界中を歴訪し、各国で多くの首脳に会いましたが、平壌では本当に悲壮な覚悟と深刻な決意を固めざるを得ませんでした。

訪朝六日目となる十二月五日には、ヘリコプター二台に分乗して、定州に向かいました。金主席の指示で道路がよく整えられており、夫の両親の墓には芝が敷かれ、石碑も立てられていました。生家はペンキが塗られ、土間や庭には砂が敷き詰められるなど、しっかり補修されていました。夫は両親の墓を訪れ、献花しました。

私の故郷である安州の空が、彼方に望めました。温かく私を包んでくれた故郷の家はそのままあるだろうか、裏畑には今もトウモロコシが育っているのだろうか、祖父の墓はどこにあるのだろうか……。様々なことが気になりましたが、そんな素振りは見せないように努めました。

私たちが北朝鮮に来たのは、故郷に来たかったからでも、金剛山を見物したかったからでもありませんでした。金日成主席に会い、祖国の将来について談判するために来たのです。その歴史的な使命を前にして、個人的な感情を見せるわけにはいきませんでした。いつか、誰もが自由に故郷を訪れることのできる日が来るだろう。そう信じました。

訪朝七日目（十二月六日）になって、私たちはようやく金日成主席に会いました。咸鏡南道の麻田にある、白い石造りの主席公館に入ると、金主席が待っていました。どちらが先にということもなく、夫と金主席はうれしそうに抱き合いました。金主席は韓服を着た私に向かって丁寧に挨拶をしました。

私たちは食事をしながら、狩猟や釣りなどの話を気兼ねなく交わしました。金主席は翌年に計画していた三万組国際合同結婚式を、ハマナスの花が美しく咲く元山の明沙十里という所で行うように勧めました。また、元山港の開港も約束しました。それからは急に話すことが多くなり、会話が途切れることなく続きました。夫は四十年以上の時を経て北に入り、出会った恩讐を、深く包み込むような愛で抱いたのです。金主席もその真摯な姿に感服し、会談の間、終始明るい表情で私たちの話に耳を傾けていました。

当時、北朝鮮を訪ねることは、まさに命懸けの冒険でした。文総裁は、共産主義者が最も嫌う宗教の偉大な指導者であるとともに、世界一の勝共指導者でした。そのような中、私たちはただ神様だけを頼りにして北朝鮮の地に入り、国の最高統治者に、天のみ旨を受け入れるべきであることを忠告したのです。

私たちの北朝鮮訪問の目的は、共同で投資をしたり、事業を興したりすることではありませんでした。ただ神様のみ旨に従って、真実にために生きる神様の心、真の愛を抱き、共産主義者たちの目を覚まさせて、真の統一の糸口をつかむために行ったのです。

北朝鮮に滞在している間、私たちは国賓待遇を受けましたが、一晩も安らかに眠ることはできませんでした。まだ統一の日を迎えておらず、離散家族がその日を待ち焦がれているのに、自分たちが平壌に来たからといって、心安らかに体を伸ばして眠ることはできません。ですから、切実な祈祷を捧げることによって天運をつなげ、統一のための条件を神様の前に立てながら、 夜を明かしたのです。

韓半島の統一は、政治交渉や経済交流だけでは実現しません。神様の真の愛によってのみ、統一が成し遂げられるのです。多くの峠を越えて実現した金日成主席との会談により、南北統一に向けた新たな一ページが刻まれました。

私たちが八日間の旅程を終えて平壌を発つと、すぐに北朝鮮・政務院の延亨黙総理が代表団を率いてソウルを訪れ、「韓半島非核化共同宣言」に調印しました。

私たち夫婦は、共産主義の絶頂期に、命を懸けてモスクワに行き、平壌にも行きました。私たちを激しく迫害してきた怨讐を、喜んで抱きかかえたのです。そうして彼らの心を動かして和解をもたらし、統一と平和の礎を築いてきたのです。それは何かを得るためではなく、真の愛を与えようとして向かっていった結果でした。夫と私は、神様のためなら許せないことを許し、人類のためなら愛せない怨讐をも愛しました。

金日成主席に会った後、北朝鮮に平和自動車工場を建て、普通江ホテルと世界平和センターも建てました。それらはすべて、統一のための礎になるでしょう。韓国の大統領が北朝鮮を訪問し、統一の道を模索していくことになったのも、当時、私たち夫婦が蒔いた種が実った結果です。

密かに今、私たちの精誠を基に平和と統一の芽が育っています。その芽が伸びて大きな花を咲かせるとき、私たち夫婦が残した統一を願う祈りと行動は、永遠に記憶されることになるでしょう。

MOTHER of PEACE
CHAPTER 6 CREATING THE ROAD TO ONE WORLD
 
3. An enemy becomes a friend

In 1946, the year after the restoration of Korean independence, Father Moon was arrested while evangelizing in North Korea. The police accused him of being a spy for South Korean President Syngman Rhee and locked him in the Daedong Detention Center in Pyongyang. His captors severely tortured him and threw what they thought was his dead body out onto the snow. His followers found him and in grief began preparing his funeral. Of course, Father Moon did not die. He clung onto life and, with the help of their prayers and herbal medicines, astonishingly, he revived.

A year later, Father Moon was arrested again and incarcerated in Hungnam special labor camp under a regime of forced labor at the nearby Hungnam Nitrogen Fertilizer Factory. For two years and eight months, he suffered indescribable hardships. It was an environment in which most prisoners died within six months of malnutrition and overwork.

As this was taking place, my mother and maternal grandmother also were imprisoned by the communist police for our religious beliefs and practices. They were released after much hardship. I have already recounted our separation from the rest of our family, our escape in 1948 with the help of my uncle, and our arduous journey to the South.

Over the subsequent decades, the North Korea government continued to treat us as its enemies. My husband and I had been carrying out Victory Over Communism activities throughout the world, and we received information that North Korean leader Kim Il Sung wanted to assassinate us. Our members' seven-day public fast and prayer across the street from the United Nations in 1974 publicized the plight of Japanese women held captive in North Korea. In June 1975 we held the World Rally for Korean Freedom, which brought over 1.2 million people to Yoido Plaza in Seoul to stand strong against communism.

With neither fear nor anger, my husband and I prayed ceaselessly for reconciliation between North and South Korea. We were not responsible for the division of the Korean Peninsula, but we took responsibility for its peaceful reunification. We have always felt that ending the conflict on the Korean Peninsula would turn the world toward peace. Hence, after returning from our meeting with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, we decided that we would have to meet Chairman Kim Il Sung of North Korea. We set a goal: by the end of 1991.

For more than 40 years, my husband and I had been unable to return to our hometowns. Through the 1980s, we taught our principles in every corner of the world, but we couldn't go to North Korea, which is only an hour's flight from Seoul. It was the same for all displaced Koreans who had ended up in the south after the Korean War. Nothing can alleviate the longing and anguish that results from the inability to visit one's hometown, especially when it is so near. Nonetheless, the reason my husband and I wanted to go to North Korea was not to visit our hometowns and relatives, even though we missed them deeply. In fact, the experiences we had been through in the North would lead most people never to want to set foot there.

The determination we made to go to North Korea seemed an impossible dream. North Korea would not even allow groups of journalists from the West to enter. But we continued our sincere prayers of forgiveness and reconciliation, and had our members reach out to North Korea in any way possible, believing that God could make a way out of no way. In answer to our prayers, in mid-November 1991, while in the United States, a courier brought us a sealed invitation. We opened it in private. Addressed to us personally, it stated that Chairman Kim Il Sung was inviting us to visit North Korea.

Without informing our staff of our ultimate destination, we packed our clothes and departed for our church workshop center in Hawaii. Our family and personal staff were curious. “It's warm in Hawaii,” they said. “But you are packing winter clothes!'

Arriving in Hawaii, my husband and I lived at the workshop site and concentrated our minds in prayer. Before setting foot in North Korea, we had to resolve any painful feelings knotted up in our hearts. We had to forgive Kim Il Sung, whose regime had hurt the nation and world, not to mention our extended family and ourselves. If we had thought of him only as our enemy, we could not have forgiven him. Only in the position of his parents, only with the heart of his mother, could I forgive. To save her son sentenced to death, a mother will even seek to change the laws of her country. That is what the maternal heart is like. With that heart, I pledged to forgive my enemy. I did not pray for our safe return from North Korea.

Those were serious hours in which we offered endless prayers. Just as Joshua circled Jericho seven times, we went around the Big Island of Hawaii again and again, offering our sincerest commitment to Heaven. Only after we had dissolved all the buried pain did my husband and I inform those who needed to know that we were on our way to North Korea.

Those around us expressed the natural reactions. “You are going to the place that is controlled by your enemy. It's extremely dangerous, completely different from going to Moscow. There is no Western or South Korean embassy there; no protection whatsoever. Whatever the letter said, there's no way Kim Il Sung will allow you to enter, unless he's planning to keep you there forever.”

Though spoken out of concern for our well-being, such words tempted us to dwell on our private feelings and fears. Yet we knew that we had to truly forgive North Korean leader Kim Il Sung and embrace him with unconditional love, no matter what the risk. We identified with Jacob offering everything he had, going at the risk of his life to meet with his brother Esau, who intended to kill him. After enduring 21 years of indescribable hardships while maintaining sincere devotion to his brother who hated him, Jacob gained the heavenly wisdom necessary to win Esau's heart. To change an enemy into a friend is truly impossible without the heart of a sincere parent.

A few days later, with our minds clear and hearts resolved in unity, my husband and I, with a small staff, flew to Beijing. As we were sitting in the airport waiting room in Beijing, a North Korean representative appeared and handed us an official invitation. The document carried Pyongyang's official seal. On November 30, our group headed to North Korea on Choson Airline's special aircraft, JS215, sent by Chairman Kim. For our benefit, it flew over my husband's hometown, Chongju, before landing in Pyongyang.

As the plane passed over Pyong-an Province, where both my husband and I were born, we looked down on the Cheongcheon River, in which we both had played as children. I felt as if I could reach down and touch its blue ripples. Had that river been flowing peacefully during the sorrowful four-plus decades since our territory was recklessly torn apart?

The chill of the cold winter wind we felt as we disembarked at Pyongyang Sunan Airport dissipated as we received the embraces of my husband's relatives. Of course, they all were grandmothers and grandfathers. They grabbed hold of our hands and wept. A waterfall of tears surged in my heart, and I'm sure my husband's as well, but I bit my lip and held them back. We had committed ourselves to this venture for the sake of Heavenly Parent and the world, not for the personal happiness of our relatives or ourselves. There would be another trip for that, we assured each other, casting our bread on the waters.

We settled in at the Peony Guest Hall, and the next day, in accord with our lifelong tradition, we arose early in the morning and prayed. If there were surveillance cameras in our room, all those prayers crying out for the unification of the Korean Peninsula were recorded. That day and the next, we were given a tour of Pyongyang.

Our meeting with a group of major North Korean government leaders at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on the third day of our stay has become a legend in North Korea. My husband and I knew that to speak for God and against the government's “Juche” ideology in North Korea could be grounds for execution, but we were resolved to risk death for the sake of peace and unification. Let it go on record: Standing in the heart of North Korea, Father Moon denounced Juche thought and the Juche kingdom. He said loudly and clearly, “The unification of North and South Korea cannot come based on Chairman Kim Il Sung's Juche thought. North and South Korea can be unified peacefully, and Korea can become the nation that can lead the whole world only through the God-centered ideology and 'head-wing thought of Unificationism.” Furthermore, he refuted their propagandist posture that the Korean War started with the South invading the North. By the end of his speech, Father Moon admonished them, “How can you call yourselves leaders? You cannot even control your own sex organs!”

The North Koreans were taken entirely by surprise. Their security personnel were anticipating the signal to rush in with guns drawn. Even though they to some degree knew what Father Moon was planning to say, our members accompanying us broke out in a cold sweat. I had toured the whole world with my husband, and we had met the leaders of many nations, but nowhere did we have to maintain courageous determination and serious resolve comparable to that day in Pyongyang.

Father Moon's speech went far past the schedule for lunch and everyone ate at separate tables in dead silence. Many thought that the chances of meeting Chairman Kim had just evaporated. My husband said it didn't matter; he had said what he came to say.

On the sixth day, Chairman Kim sent two helicopters to transport us to Chongju, Father Moon's hometown. As Chairman Kim had instructed, highway crews had newly paved the little road to my husband's boyhood home, set up dignified tombstones and planted turf at the graves of his parents. They even had painted and decorated the house where Father Moon was born and spread sand on the earthen floor and yard. We visited his parents' tombs and offered flowers.

I gazed at the sky in the direction of Anju, my hometown, 18 miles away. Is the old house that embraced me so snugly still standing there? Is corn growing in the backyard field these days? Where is my maternal grandfather's grave? I was curious about everything, but I held it inside. We had come to meet with Chairman Kim Il Sung on behalf of our Heavenly Parent and shape the future of our homeland; We had come for the sake of the nation and world. I could not entertain my personal feelings in light of that historic summons. I was there so that the day would come when all Koreans and all peoples will be free to visit their hometowns.

It was on the seventh day that we finally met Chairman Kim. As we entered the Chairman's white-stone official residence in Majeon, Hamgyongnam Province, he was waiting for us. Without regard to protocol, my husband greeted Chairman Kim as if they were old friends, and Chairman Kim reciprocated, and we all took a deep breath as the two joyfully embraced each other. Chairman Kim, seeing me in a traditional Korean dress, politely gave his welcome.

The first order of business was lunch, and while we ate, we began our conversation by unreservedly sharing small talk about such things as hunting and fishing. Gradually, Father Moon and I introduced our current activities, including the World Culture and Sports Festival planned for the coming August. Hearing that it would include a Blessing Ceremony for 30,000 couples from around the world, Chairman Kim offered the Myeongsasimni Beach in North Korea's beautiful Wonsan district, where the sweetbriar is beautiful, as its venue. He also promised to open the port of Wonsan to transport all the couples to that site. Then all of a sudden, there were so many things to talk about. The conversation took on an energy of its own and continued far beyond its scheduled closure. My husband embraced his enemy, whom he had been preparing for decades to meet, with deep and intense love. Chairman Kim was impressed by our sincerity and accepted our proposals in a bright manner throughout the meeting.

At that time, visitors from the free world visited North Korea at the risk of their lives. My husband and I were co-founders of a religion that communists hated and leaders of a global movement to end communism. Our trip to North Korea was not for the sake of joint economic ventures. We didn't go with a duplicitous motive, feigning interest in North Korea's benefit while actually being there for our own benefit. Such is typical of the political world, but that was not on our minds. For the sake of genuinely following the providential will, we went only with the heart of God, to enlighten and lovingly embrace the communist leaders and open the way for genuine unification. We entered that land relying only on God and advised its supreme leader to receive Heaven's decree.

While in North Korea, even though we were honored as state guests, we could not sleep comfortably, knowing that there were thousands upon thousands of families separated and longing for each other because Korea was not yet unified. We stayed awake every night, seeking to connect heavenly fortune to that place through our heartfelt prayer. We spent those nights submitting ourselves to God, for the sake of the unification of the Korean Peninsula. Political negotiation and economic exchange will come only on the foundation of the true love of God. By making this our focus, our talks with Chairman Kim opened a new chapter for the unification of North and South Korea.

Looking back, I reflect that it was at the moment communism reached its zenith that my husband and I risked our lives to go to Moscow and Pyongyang. With joyful hearts, as representatives of the free world, we embraced enemies who had severely persecuted us. By our doing so, they were moved, and we could reconcile. Thus, we laid the foundation for unification and peace. We went to North Korea not to get something but to give genuine true love. For the sake of God, my husband and I forgave the unforgivable; for the sake of humanity, we loved the unlovable.

Soon after the completion of our eight-day mission, North Korea's Prime Minister Yon Hyong-muk led a delegation to Seoul and signed a “Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” with the South Korean government. Over the coming months, our movement set up an industrial enterprise, the Pyonghwa Motors factory, as well as the Botong River Hotel and the World Peace Center, all in Pyongyang, as the cornerstone for unification. Afterwards, the seeds planted by my husband and I at that time bore fruit with the visit of the South Korean president to North Korea to discuss the path toward unification. On that foundation, the shoots of peace and unification are growing. When those shoots blossom into full bloom, the earnest prayers my husband and I have offered for Korean unification will be remembered forever.

After our meetings with President Gorbachev and Chairman Kim, my husband and I mapped out our next steps. We envisioned God-centered organizations that would fill the vacuum about to be created and actually lead to peace in the world. With the tangible menace of militant communism now fading, the reformation of religious faith and family-based morality was the next mountain to climb.

It had taken more than 50 years to sweep international communism into the dustbin of history, but the decline of religion and family life is a subtler and, therefore, more pernicious threat. Religious leaders are tasked by God to guide people to live responsibly, but the influence of religion in modern times has been declining. Our challenge now became the restoration of religious faith as society's compass.

Thus we intensified our investment in bringing religious leaders to see beyond their denominational horizons, end interreligious conflict, and work together based upon universally shared, God-centered values. These are the same absolute values around which we called scientists, media professionals and political leaders to work. Healthy societies of all races, nations and religions arise on the foundation of morality and ethics, which in turn arise on the foundation of the love of God between husband and wife, parents and children. This love of God in the family is the source of absolute values, and they are universally shared and taught by all religions. We inspired faith leaders to work together and teach these universally shared values. We actually have invested more of our movement's resources on this than on the growth of our church.

Our vision brought together religious leaders and government leaders, centered around a common purpose of peace and true freedom. Renowned people from all walks of life who empathized with our objectives became 'ambassadors for peace' through the work of the Federation for World Peace and the Interreligious Federation for World Peace. Starting in 2001, in Korea, the activities of these peace ambassadors quickly spread throughout the world. Inspired by the vision, peace ambassadors in 160 countries are putting down roots of true peace through project work in a broad range of fields. Where there are disputes, where poverty hinders education, where there is religious intolerance, where people lack sufficient medical care, peace ambassadors alleviate their pain and help them improve their lives.

Then, at New York City's Lincoln Center on September 12, 2005, we inaugurated an umbrella organization, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). Following that event, my husband and I embarked upon a tour of 120 nations to meet ambassadors for peace and establish UPF national chapters. UPF brings together people and organizations across the world through programs supporting the realization of a world of genuine peace.

The Universal Peace Federation is now an NGO in General Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), where its representatives work with like-minded, peace-loving global citizens.