[HWPL]

[HWPL] HWPL's 1st to 5th Peace Tours, the First Step for Cessation of War and World Peace

Religious dignitaries from China, Italy, Netherlands, France, Congo, Turkey and Germany are welcoming Chairman Man-Hee Lee prior to the lecture in Belgium held during the second peace tour on July 4th, 2012.

May 11th, 2012 (the 1st Peace Tour) Chairman Man-hee Lee met and welcomed Mr.Mezier (former East German Prime Minister) at Potsdam, Germany to discuss inter-Korean reunification.

“It is difficult to even think about this peace work indeed. So I had to beg God. ‘The Lord has given me the best truth out of the 6,000 years of mankind, so if you tell me to preach the truth like Moses, like Jeremiah, I can do it, but I will not be able to do the work of peace because I'm weak. But if God and Jesus are together, I can do it.” The answer was that God and Jesus would be with me. You promised to be with me wherever I go and with whomever I meet, so now I had to do it.”

This is the background to the beginning of the peace movement that transcends borders and religions, as revealed in an autobiographical letter sent to Cheonji Daily by Man-Hee Lee, Chairman of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) in April 2016.

On December 3rd, 2012 (the 3rd Peace Tour), Chairman Man-Hee Lee visited Ethiopia and met with President Girma Walde Giorgis at the Presidential Palace in Addis Ababa and asked him to join the peace movement.

Since 2012, Chairman Man-Hee Lee has been on the Peace Tour under the command to "End war and achieve world peace.” Human history has been in a series of wars. As a result, the cessation of war and achievement of world peace has been regarded as an impossibility. Thousands of people have won the Nobel Peace Prize, but brutal wars are still ongoing. However, knowing the answer to peace from heaven, and hearing that God would walk with him, Chairman Lee had to follow the command and set off for the world.

He was 82 years old when he first toured. For an elderly man like Man-hee Lee, the long-distance flight to a far away foreign land was a road to death. The 1st~5th Peace Tour: ▲1st Germany, Switzerland, Austria (May 5th~16th, 2012) ▲2nd Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, USA (July 2nd~26th, 2012) ▲3rd Ethiopia, South Africa (November 30th~December 18th 2012) ▲ 4th Papua New Guinea (March 3rd - 9th, 2013) ▲ 5th The Philippines and Thailand (June 12th - 21st 2013).

December 14th, 2012 (The 3rd Peace Tour) Chairman Man-Hee Lee visited South Africa and discussed world peace with President Jacob Zuma at the Presidential Palace in Pretoria, the administrative capital.

Chairman Man-Hee Lee and Deputy Prime Minister Leo Dean of Papua New Guinea are shaking hands after the World Peace Talks in March 2013 (The 4th Peace Tour)

Chairman Lee's first Peace Tour for 'World Peace and Cessation of War' was in Germany, the birthplace of the Reformation. In Potsdam, Germany, he met Mr. Lothar de Mezier, the last prime minister of the former East Germany, and had a conversation about the unification of the Korean Peninsula and world peace for about three hours. Through their conversation, Chairman Lee realized the importance of a “civilian peace movement from the bottom up” rather than “political peace” achieved by a higher social class.

During each tour, Chairman Lee held a peace seminar considering the characteristics of each country. He also urged them to join the 'World Alliance of Religions' for reconciliation and cooperation between religions and 'enactment of an international law to end war' for world peace through key personnel meetings.

Seminars were a success wherever he went. German religious figures attending the Frankfurt conference welcomed Chairman Lee warmly. Afterwards, the large rally held in Berlin was a great success, with over 400 religious figures from 25 countries attending.

During the 5th Peace Tour held from June 12th-21st in 2013, Chairman Man-Hee Lee met with members of the International Youth Peace Group in Thailand and instilled a vision of world peace in young people.

The second peace tour took place in Europe and the Americas. Hundreds of religious figures attended the seminar held at a hotel in the Houpalize region in Belgium, who had heard of the results of the first European visit. The first American seminar was held at The Times Center in the New York Times headquarters in Manhattan, New York, USA. The tour to the Americas was well received by the interest and response of locals, with audiences lining up in the middle of New York to hear Chairman Lee's message of peace. The seminar held at the Crystal Church in Orange County, California, the largest Protestant church in the world, was attended by about 1,500 people.

From the third tour in Africa, the movement for the enactment of the international law on the cessation of war and the alliance of religions began in earnest. Chairman Lee met with high-ranking political figures such as Ethiopia's President Girma Walde Giorgis and South African President Jacob Zuma and appealed for their participation in the enactment of an international law to end war that would bring world peace.

A large-scale peace seminar was held at the City Hall in Cape Town, South Africa. A large number of African religious figures who heard the news of the first and second peace tours, the ‘World Peace and Sky Culture and Arts Festival (Heaven Culture and Arts Festival)’, attended this event and drew attention.

The 4th tour in Papua New Guinea was held in March 2013. It was an invitation as a state guest by Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, who was moved by the video of the 'Sky Arts Festival' held earlier.

In an interview with Deputy Prime Minister Leo Dian of Papua New Guinea, Chairman Lee emphasized that “there should be an article on world peace and the cessation of war.” In addition, Chairman Lee delivered a peace lecture to the residents of Panghiya and Yalibu, which received a great response.

After the seminar held in Berlin on May 12th, 2012 (the 1st tour), attendees visited and greeted Chairman Manhee Lee.

On the 5th trip to the Philippines and Thailand, the 12 branch managers of HWPL accompanied him as a peace delegation. From the 5th tour, representatives of youth groups from each country who participated in the ‘International Youth Peace Walk’ held on May 25th, 2013 at the Seoul Olympic Park Peace Gate welcomed Chairman Lee wherever they went.

During the tour, Chairman Lee delivered peace lectures in major cities in the Philippines and Thailand, starting with a lecture on peace at St. Augustine University located in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. During his visit to the Philippines and Thailand, he held a meeting with representatives of member organizations of the International Peace Youth Group and emphasized the importance of the youth peace movement.

A young man from Rangsit University in Thailand said, “Chairman Lee is like a superman who saves the world, all mankind, and our youth.“

Even in the Philippines, the enthusiasm of young people to participate in the HWPL peace movement was hot everywhere, with 4 UN-registered youth group members taking 7 hours to visit Chairman Lee.

After the peace seminar held at the Crystal Church in Orange County, California on July 21st, 2012 (the 2nd tour), local media interviewed Chairman Lee.

Chairman Lee's peace tour was also featured in the local media. During the first tour, several media outlets, including Germany's Rhinemine TV, focused on Lee's lecture. During the second tour, 10 major media outlets, including European broadcasters as well as NBC, the largest U.S. broadcaster, Azteca America TV, China's largest newspaper Xingtao, and 80-year-old New York radio broadcaster WVOX, conducted on-site coverage and an interview with Chairman Lee.

In particular, during the live broadcast of Azteca America TV, viewers' interest soared, so advertisements were stopped, and the interview was conducted for more than 30 minutes than planned - an unprecedented broadcast in the history of the program.

On December 15th, 2012 (the 3rd tour), Chairman Man-Hee Lee's peace lecture was held at City Hall in Cape Town, South Africa, and about 700 religious figures attended and listened.

During the third tour in Africa, about 20 media requests for their program were received in South Africa alone, and Ethiopia TV, the state-run broadcasting station in Ethiopia, reported heavily on the schedule of Chairman Lee's tour.

The 4th tour in Papua New Guinea was a hot topic in the local area even before the visit. Local media, including the state-owned broadcasting station EMTV, reported to all the people daily about the meeting between Chairman Lee and Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, including videos from the Heavenly Culture and Arts Festival, from two weeks before the tour. Everywhere he went, reporters inundated him with requests for interview.

The 5th tour in the Philippines and Thailand was actively reported through local state broadcasters and major media outlets. After recording the broadcast at the studio, Wizitrarundi, a Thai NBC newscaster, said, “I am very impressed. It's amazing how one individual can show such a strong driving force not only for the peace of the country, but also for the peace of the world". "I hope that the work of Chairman Lee can successfully create and promote peace around the world."

In March 2013 (the 4th tour), many people from various tribes gathered in Panghiya, the hometown of Papua New Guinea's head, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, to listen to the peace lecture of Chairman Man-Hee Lee.

The Philippine Peace Seminar held on June 14th-15th, 2013 (the 5th tour) was a great success with 5,000 locals flocking to it over two days.

Peace!