[HWPL]

[HWPL] HWPL Peace Tours of Man-hee Lee (2): The First Peace Tour to Europe for the Cessation of War - “Recognition of the Importance of the Civil Peace Movement”

Man-hee Lee, Chairman of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), is attracting attention for his epochal peace achievements by presenting solutions to peace in the form of the ‘Enactment of an International Law for Cessation of War’ and ‘World Alliance of Religions’. As a veteran of the Korean War, Chairman Lee is encouraging the largest number of people in the history of the global village to join the peace movement, proclaiming, “Let’s create a world without war and pass it on as an eternal legacy to future generations.” From the 1st to 31st peace tours, Korean peace activist Man-hee Lee has brought inspiration and hope to the global village with the message “Peace, We Can Make It.”

Chairman Man-hee Lee holds a large rally in Berlin, where he is welcomed by local Christians, from May 11th to 12th, 2012

Man-Hee Lee, Chairman of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), has embarked on peace tours since 2012, after receiving the command to “end war and achieve world peace.” Given that the first peace tour took place before the founding of HWPL, he conducted it in his capacity as Chairman of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji). His first peace tour was to Germany, the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation.

Chairman Man-hee Lee greets former East German Chancellor Lothar de Maizière at Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam, Germany, to discuss world peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula on May 11th, 2012

Cecilienhof Palace in Berlin is the site of the Potsdam Conference where the division of Korea was discussed. It is also the site of the Potsdam Declaration, which called for Germany's defeat and the unconditional surrender of the Japanese army during World War II.

On May 11th, 2012, Chairman Man-hee Lee met with former East German Chancellor Lothar de Maizière in Potsdam, Germany, to listen to the process of the historical reunification of Germany and to conduct in-depth discussion of the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Former East German Chancellor Lothar de Maizière had played a pivotal role in the reunification of Germany through persuasive dialogue with East German politicians.

At this meeting, Chairman Man-hee Lee listened to former East German Chancellor Lothar de Maizière discuss the process of German reunification at a prayer meeting that was typically held every Monday. After learning of the former Chancellor's explanation that, "I persuaded East German politicians to act on the grounds that the people wanted reunification," Chairman Lee realized the importance of working for peace at the grassroots, rather than from above. The two shared the same belief that the reunification of Korea, which remains the only divided country in the world, is critical for world peace.

Chairman Lee said, “If Korea has been appealing for world peace, yet itself remains divided, how will other countries view it? I had the thought, 'Why don't you tell your own country to do well first?'" Chairman Lee stated, "The reunification of the Koreas is important to achieve world peace and religious freedom."

Chairman Lee is engaged in an in-depth discussion on the Bible with the Abbot of Göttweig Abbey on May 14th, 2012

On May 14th, with the Abbot of Göttweig Abbey, Catholicism and Shincheonji met for an informal discussion on the “Bible”, their common scripture, in an act that transcended denomination for the sake of unity.

Guests listen to a lecture delivered by Chairman Lee

A pastor asks Chairman Lee a question about the Bible

During the peace tour, Chairman Lee also held a Bible seminar upon the request of the local branch of Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Man-hee Lee's Bible seminar was reported on by numerous media outlets in Germany, where Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism) accounts for more than 60% of the population.

Chairman Lee held the Frankfurt Conference on May 7th, 2012, and then held a large rally in Berlin on the 11th and 12th as lecturer. Since this had taken place before the activities of HWPL began in earnest, these lectures by Chairman Lee, who is a person of faith, delivered a spiritual message as a central theme. About 400 religious leaders from 25 countries attended the event. It brought critical acclaim.

Local columnist Susanne Held said, “I came here because of the rally" and was particularly attentive throughout the conference.

Chairman Lee delivers a lecture at a conference at Frankfurter PresseClub on May 7th, 2012

The Frankfurt conference met critical acclaim. In particular, a religious leader from Congo, who was on short-term travels in Germany, attended the conference after coming across an advertisement. He made every effort to hear and understand the message of Chairman Lee, despite having to undergo a 'double interpretation' from Korean to German and German to Congolese.

The religious leader said, “Today’s event is really important. I hope many people come to hear this. The world of faith in Europe is failing, so I hope we can hold a bigger event next time.” He also publicly requested a public lecture, saying, “If Chairman Lee comes to Africa, I will gather all the people I know there.”

Chairman Lee is interviewed by the media following his lecture

At the Berlin rally, the private television station Leipzig Fernsehen broadcast and explained the meaning of Chairman Lee's name as 'light' and 'illuminate', thereby shedding light on the role of Chairman Lee as 'the light of the East'.

At the conference held at Frankfurter PresseClub on May 7th, 2012, RheinMainTV in Hessen aired a one-minute segment of an interview with Chairman Man-hee Lee, and released it worldwide on YouTube.

Leipzig Fernsehen covered the Berlin rally, interviewed Chairman Lee and aired it on the news. The news anchor said, “In these times of crisis in Europe, the conflict in Syria and many other conflicts, it is not surprising that many people are looking for answers through their faith.”

Related news was broadcast once an hour during peak hours from 18:00 to 23:00 on the 14th (Tuesday) of the same month, and was also aired on the 15th (Wednesday) from 20:00 to 22:00 and 22:00 to 23:00. As the popularity of the program increased after the report, the video of the local conference of Chairman Man-hee Lee was edited and uploaded on YouTube thereafter.

JeetTV, a German civil internet broadcaster, broadcast live events online. Numerous media reports continued, including a report of the interview of Chairman Lee that was published in the weekly Berlin newspaper on the 17th.

Peace!