[HWPL]

[HWPL] HWPL's 11th to 15th Peace Tours: Peace Began to Blossom on the Earth

HWPL's Chairman Man-hee Lee (far right) took a commemorative photo with attendees at a ceremony marking the 25th Anniversary of Romania's Fall of Communism on November 20th 2014.

“For the sake of world peace, international law should be enacted to end war, and religions at the center of conflict should achieve great unity.”

For global peace, Chairman Man-hee Lee of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) has two action plans. With these two proposals, Chairman Lee went on the 11th~15th peace tour despite being over the age of 80 at that time. Chairman Lee and the peace delegation's peace movement became a ray of light that shone throughout the world. As their actions continued on, the world began to search for the answer to peace. People from all over the world, including existing and former presidents, had a meeting with Chairman Lee, named him the ‘messenger of peace’ and expressed their desire to participate in Chairman Lee’s peace movement.

The 11th~15th Peace Tour was ▲11th: Romania, Germany, Turkey (June 2nd ~ 10th 2014) ▲12th: Croatia, France, Germany, Montenegro, Bosnia (June 29th ~ July 18th 2014) ▲13th: Philippines, China (August 11th ~ 19th 2014) ▲14th: Japan, USA (August 28th ~ September 5th 2014) ▲15th: Romania (November 18th ~ 22nd 2014), and so on.

The 25th anniversary of the fall of Communism in Romania was held on November 20th, 2014.

11th Peace Tour

In June 2014, Chairman Lee visited Romania, Germany, and Turkey for eight days, once again achieving great results in the peace movement.

HWPL Chairman Man-hee Lee and former Croatian President Stjepan Mesić posed for a commemorative photo after signing the peace agreement on June 30th. 2014

In Germany and Turkey, support for Chairman Lee's peaceful movement was very welcome. At that time, Chairman Lee was invited as a presenter to a conference held in Berlin, Germany, in the presence of former Romanian President Emil Constantinescu, ICD President Mark Donfried, and 200 youth representatives from all over Europe. At this meeting, Chairman Lee mentioned the need for religious unity and emphasized that religious leaders should take the lead for world peace.

Chairman Lee's sincerity to achieve global peace paid off. At a press conference held at Incheon International Airport after the peace tour, Chairman Lee said, “I cried out to the leaders that religion should be united first because the main cause of war is religious conflict. No one disagreed and they all signed the peace agreement."

Man-hee Lee, Chairman of HWPL, spoke at the ICD meeting held in Croatia on July 1st 2014

12th Peace Tour

Countries wishing for peace empathized deeply with the message of Chairman Lee. The 12th peace tour took place upon the invitation of someone who was impressed by the message of peace delivered by Chairman Lee at the International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) held at the Parliament of Romania in April 2014. From June 29th to July 18th 2014, Chairman Lee and the peace delegation toured Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, France, Spain and Croatia for 19 days.

HWPL's Chairman Manhee Lee met and shook hands with former Croatian President Ivo Josipović on July 1st 2014

Chairman Lee appeared as a keynote speaker at a symposium co-hosted by HWPL and the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) in Montenegro. In his speech, Chairman Lee said, “The majority of conflicts and disputes that occur in countries around the world are due to ideological, religious, and cultural differences. At the global level, efforts should be made to establish a culture of peace.”

After the speech, Chairman Lee received a letter of appreciation from ICD President Mack Donfried and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Montenegro for his contribution to establishing the importance of peace.

Man-Hee Lee, Chairman of HWPL, received a certificate of appreciation at the Montenegro Symposium on July 9th 2014

Chairman Lee also delivered the message of peace at the ‘Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics (IPCGE) Peace Conference’ held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. The conference was meaningful in that it was the first time that 25 people, including former Romanian President Emil Constantinescu, former UN Secretary-General Gianni Pico, members of the National Assembly, and religious and academic leaders gathered together.

At that meeting, Chairman Lee met with political and religious figures including then Croatian President Ivo Josipović, former Croatian President Stjepan Mesić, the former President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and German Orthodox bishops to deliver a concrete message and steps for global peace. Leaders from all walks of life, who sympathized with Chairman Lee's message, signed the peace treaty and promised to participate in his peace work.

Manhee Lee, Chairman of HWPL, spoke at the IPCGE Peace Conference held at UNESCO Headquarters in France on July 2nd 2014.

13th Peace Tour

The voice of peace reached the continent as well. Chairman Lee, who visited China during the 13th peace tour, stood at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, and exclaimed, “If leaders in each country desire world peace and love their country and people, they should strive for an end to war through international law and sign the agreement for world peace.” When Chairman Lee said, “There is an answer to peace,” the Chinese crowd gave a thumbs up in consensus.

In recognition of his contribution to peace, Chairman Lee was awarded the World Peace Lion Award from the then Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Mae-yeong Chang  (張梅潁). It was considered very unusual at that time for the Chinese government to give out an award in recognition of the efforts of a Korean peace activist.

HWPL's Chairman Man-hee Lee received the World Peace Lion Award from the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Mae-young Chang, on August 16th 2014.

In the second round of the tour, he visited Renmin University, one of the most prestigious universities in China, and met with Jinmu Jeok, president of the School of Sociology and Population Studies, and with students to talk about world peace, peace in Northeast Asia, and the reunification of the Koreas. In an interview conducted after returning from the 13th peace tour, Chairman Lee said, “It is one of the great achievements (of this movement) that Chinese people are so interested in ‘peace’. I was really happy to be able to go".

Prior to his visit to China, Chairman Lee visited the City of Zamboanga, Mindanao Island, Philippines. The City of Zamboanga was a place where outbreaks of the Islamic-Catholic religious conflict frequently occurred, resulting in the deaths of 138 people - including 12 civilians - in clashes between the Muslim group MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) and government forces.

Participants marched on the Peace Walk during the 13th Peace Tour in Mindanao on August 11th 2014

At Zamboanga City Hall, a walking contest and a peace agreement ceremony, led by Chairman Lee, were held to end war and achieve world peace with 12,000 people including government officials, religious leaders, and youth representatives. Government officials such as Mayor of Zamboanga Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, governor Nulbert Sahari (and others), the indigenous people of Pendatum Raha Bhatjao, representatives of private organizations, and representatives of various groups joined the peace agreement to end war and establish permanent peace.

At the invitation of the Philippine National Police Agency, about 260 police officers and 40 Muslim, Catholic and Buddhist religious leaders gave a lecture on peace. Regarding this move, the local media in the Philippines said, “We have agreed to end the war through numerous peace treaties, but there have always been other conflicts."

Chairman Lee's contribution to peace was also recognized in Korea. After returning from his 13th tour, Chairman Lee was awarded the '2014 World Peace Practical Achievement Award' at the '2014 Korea Loyalty Award for Brightening Korean Society'. The Organizing Committee recognized Chairman Lee, who has been at the forefront of the cessation of war through a global peace movement.

14th Peace Tour

14th Peace Tour was Japan and the United States. Representative Lee attended the Peace Forum held in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, and delivered a speech on the subject, “Materials for World Peace.” In this speech, Chairman Lee also appealed to the leaders of each country to stipulate an agreement on enacting an international law for the cessation of war, and to sign a peace treaty.

The International Buddhist Association signed the Peace Agreement with deep sympathy for Chairman Lee's intention that, in order to fundamentally resolve wars and conflicts, religious conflicts which are the main cause of wars, must be resolved first. Local media such as TBS Broadcasting Station also showed great interest in the signing of the peace agreement.

HWPL's Chairman Manhee Lee spoke at the Peace Forum held in Japan on August 28th, 2014

During his visit to Japan, Chairman Lee emphasized the individual's role for the cessation of regional disputes in Asia, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and peace in Northeast Asia. This led to reports by local Japanese media such as ‘Asia News Agency’ and ‘Dongyang Economy News’. After that, he visited New York, USA and conducted interviews with local media such as CMPI Broadcasting, as well as the United Nations Religious Leaders' Media Conference.

At a press conference on his return home, he said, “People wanted to meet me because they heard about the news of peace everywhere I went. The nations of communism, democracy and others have promised that they will collaborate for this work of peace. Peace is precious, no matter who you are.”

On November 19th 2014, HWPL Chairman Man-hee Lee, who arrived at Henri Coander International Airport in Romania, held a press conference for the arrival of the peace delegation, and a local Channel D reporter conducted an interview.

HWPL's Chairman Man-hee Lee attended the ratification ceremony of the 5th President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, on November 21st 2014.

15th Peace Tour

Through the 15th overseas tour, Chairman Lee finally achieved a great result: “The participation of current and former presidents and religious leaders of Central and Eastern Europe for the enactment of an international law on cessation of war.” Chairman Lee was invited to an event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the collapse of the Romanian communist regime and the election of the new president of Romania, and met with 25 former presidents of Central and Eastern European countries, religious leaders of 7 countries and Supreme Court justices, and had a peace talk on 'World Peace Cessation of War'.

Through this, active support for HWPL activities was obtained, and 25 former presidents, including former President of  Romania Emil Constantinescu and former President of Poland Lech Wałęsa, were appointed as official advisors. They enacted an international law that stipulates 'putting an end to the strife', and united under Chairman Lee's belief that religion at the center of conflict must achieve great unity. In addition, the ICD made a promise to act as an advisory member, and global religious leaders made remarkable achievements in opening a 'Religious Union Office' for religious unity.

Starting with the 14th and 15th tours, various figures and people of different races, religions and ideologies transcended borders and participated in the ‘enactment of international law to end war’, which Chairman Lee suggested as a concrete plan to achieve world peace.

Peace!