<figure id="attachment_312505" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-312505" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d88962cd"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/05/11945.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-312505" class="wp-caption-text">Interior photo of the joint wedding ceremony in Korea. At this ceremony, a new facility called &#8220;Cheonwon Palace,&#8221; which is said to have cost more than 50 billion yen in total, was also unveiled.</figcaption></figure>
 The joint wedding ceremony was held in a tense atmosphere outside the facility where the headquarters of the former Unification Church of Korea (Family Federation for World Peace and Unification) is located, with the area on high alert in preparation for the Japanese media&#8217;s coverage of the event.
 Gapyeong-gun is located about two hours by car from Seoul, South Korea. The joint wedding ceremony was held on May 7 at this location, which is lined with former Unification Church facilities. Various events were being held in Korea over an eight-day period, including an event to commemorate the 80th birthday of President Han Hak-ja and a general meeting to which experts from various fields were invited. According to an announcement by the church, 16,000 men and women from about 150 countries participated in the joint wedding on that day, including those online. Internal photos obtained by this magazine from related parties convey the bizarre atmosphere of each event.
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
 I pray that they will be the proud blessed families of Heaven&#8217;s first nation.&#8221;
 President Han speaks from the podium to the assembled brides and grooms. According to participants, some couples were so moved by the close proximity of the president, who was dressed in a golden hanbok, that they shed tears. Nearly 1,000 Japanese attended the ceremony, which was the first since the shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, including those in Tokyo. About 550 Japanese attended the ceremony in South Korea.
 The participants were asked to donate 700,000 yen for the Shokuguchi (believers) and 200,000 yen for the Nisei (second-generation believers) to cover the cost of participation.
 The &#8220;HJ Global Art Center,&#8221; the venue for the joint wedding, had the choir on the left facing the stage and 912 VIP seats for domestic and international guests on the right, and &#8220;the place was packed,&#8221; said another participant.
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
 The &#8220;Holy Wedding Question and Answer&#8221; ceremony and exchange of rings took place. After that, there were performances by guest singers, and in the finale, True Mother (the president) sang a song a cappella. The shokuguchi in the hall sang a song of thanksgiving with her.
 Former Prime Minister Abe and former U.S. President Donald Trump are known to have contributed video messages to the event held by the Order&#8217;s friendship group in September &#8217;21, and Mr. Trump made a video appearance at a series of events this year as well.
 The seemingly lavish and lavish event is believed by some to be &#8220;aimed at tightening up the inner circle,&#8221; according to a source within the organization.
 Amid mounting criticism in Japan, various distortions have arisen within the organization, and recently there have been reports that a top official has been removed from his post.
 How does this grand event appear in the eyes of those who are still suffering from high donations and second-generation problems?
<figure id="attachment_312508" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-312508" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="af0768e7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/05/12279.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-312508" class="wp-caption-text"> President Han Hak Ko of the former Unification Church who attended the joint wedding ceremony. Some brides and grooms were said to shed tears as they listened to President Han&#8217;s speech.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_312506" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-312506" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6bf07c9d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/05/11948.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-312506" class="wp-caption-text"> A few hours before the start of the joint wedding ceremony, large buses arrived at the site one after another. Brides and grooms emerged one after another from inside.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_312507" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-312507" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="42fdfed0"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/05/12154.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-312507" class="wp-caption-text"> Various events were held over the eight days. There was even a dance event on a stage with the words &#8220;Shin Nihon&#8221; written on it, as seen in this photo.</figcaption></figure>
 From the June 2, 2023 issue of FRIDAY

 Hironori Jinno (Nonfiction writer)

 A "joint wedding ceremony" was held in Gapyeong-gun, South Korea, by the former Unification Church in the midst of the turmoil. Including online, 16,000 people from about 150 countries attended the event, including nearly 1,000 people from Japan. Here are some photos from inside the gorgeous event!

Scoop! Inside photos of the “joint wedding” held by the former Unification Church in the midst of the whirlwind.

Access Ranking