Step into Freedom an Cataclysmic War

Step into Freedom, an Cataclysmic War

From the viewpoint of God's providence of restoration, Western civilization by all means needs to be connected to Asia. Flesh and blood, spirit and body, and all conditions of sincerity established by Western civilization have to be brought here. It was only in 1950 that representatives of sixteen nations came to Korea, and while here, they were engaged in fierce fighting.

The birthplace of the Messiah is the homeland. Those soldiers who fought in the Korean War sacrificed themselves for the liberation of our homeland. We can conclude that from the perspective of God's providence, the military conflict in Korea triggered an international mobilization to shed blood for the liberation of the homeland. Heaven mobilized men and women to Korea from all democratic nations that profess Christianity to sacrifice for the liberation of Korea, a providential nation that with the advent of the True Parent had become the ideal homeland. Heaven had them fight.

Would there have been such a thing as the Korean War had Christianity accepted the Unification Church? It would not have occurred. It would have taken at most three years to secure a complete nationwide foundation. Within seven years, a worldwide foundation would have been laid. The Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950, was a conflict in the midst of this seven-year course. Because Christianity did not accept me, Satan invaded and established a foundation based on the number seven. Therefore, we see the emergence of two enemies -- communism and Christianity. Communism emerged on the worldwide level at that point in history. Had communism not secured a foothold on Korean soil, it would not have grown to command the power it did in the world. All of that would have melted down in my hand.

The bombing of Hungnam prison (Communist death camp) by B-29s

On August 1, 1950, a heavy bombing attack was carried out with B-29 bombers on the Hungnam fertilizer factory. Not only did I foresee this attack but I also knew and explained to those close to me that God would protect anyone who stayed within twelve meters of me. I was meditating calmly amidst all of the heavy bombing. It did not bother me at all. I was concentrated on the ideal world that awaited us in the future. I knew that for God, sending a person with a providential mission like mine to the spirit world at that point would amount to a loss of cosmic proportions. God was willing to pay any price to protect me. In fact, He had no other choice.

Such were my thoughts while those around me were worried and their facial expressions got ever tighter. In the midst of explosions ripping through the Hungnam factory, people were shouting that they were going to die. That was the situation I was in... Oh well... Death did not concern me at all.

Prisoners to the frontline

Soon after the Korean War broke out on June 25, the communists were mobilizing all of their prisoners to the frontline, where they were to die as cannon fodder. At some point, about eight hundred prisoners, out of roughly a thousand, were ordered to march to a meeting point fifty kilometers from the prison. We marched out in obedience to the order from the central command for more soldiers for frontline combat.

About eight hundred people moved from Hungnam toward Wonsan and Jeongpyeong... Originally, we would have started out by railroad but a section of track had been destroyed by bombing. The prisoners travelled fifty kilometers on foot. At that point, there were only seventy or eighty prisoners left behind at Hungnam. Most of the prisoners were taken to fight on the frontline.

I was among the eight hundred. It was dangerous to move by day because of the heavy bombing, so we marched through the night starting at eight in the evening and stopping after dawn, thus covering about twenty-five to thirty kilometers a day. Since trains could also run only by night, it had been arranged that we would arrive at a station by 4:00 AM.

However, that train did not come at the appointed time because of an accident, and the group of prisoners had to stay put for a few days. Because too few guards were escorting too many prisoners, the guards feared problems might arise and ordered a retreat to the prison. Three days later, the prisoners were ordered out again. This time, however, I was allowed to stay behind. I was the only one out of the original eight hundred whom they left behind. That is how I survived.

The end of the ordeal

How does the story end? The gates of the prison did finally open. It was time to go. Wonsan was the very first place to be retaken by the South Korean contingent under the UN Forces. Our soldiers entered Pyongyang on October 19. However, Wonsan had been taken at dawn on October 15 or 16.

Therefore, the Hungnam area was the first piece of the North Korean territory retaken by the allied forces. That incursion forced our prison guards to flee and allowed me to escape.

All these events occurred as they did because God was desperate to save one person, His son. On October 12, about seventy prisoners with sentences of seven years or more were taken ten kilometers into the mountains and executed. Since my prison term was five years, my turn was to come two days later. You can see why God must have worked feverishly.

As I looked out of the cell window on the night of October 13, it already looked as if changes were occurring. The prison guards fled on October 14 because UN Forces were approaching Hungnam; so we were able to get out of the prison. The UN forces launched a general offensive and at two o'clock in the morning on that day we gained our freedom.

If you conceive of my release as a decision made in a court of law, granting it would have been done not by a judge, but by the accuser, Satan himself, who had the final word. I needed Satan's approval to be freed.

Because I successfully accomplished all that had been required of me, soldiers from the archangel nation [the United States], with other troops making up the UN forces, fought back against North Korea and were able to liberate me. This is how I came out of prison.

The fact that on October 14, 1950, just a day before my scheduled execution, UN troops led by General MacArthur freed me is evidence that my salvation was accomplished entirely by God's grace and power. A condition was established for the whole democratic world to receive benefits from the UN forces having liberated me from prison. In other words, because the UN troops played a direct role in my deliverance from the Hungnam labor camp, the democratic world established a providential connection that allowed it to be saved and blessed.

October is the month of liberation for the Unification Church. Both my liberation from Seodaemun Prison on October 4, 1955 and from the Hungnam labor camp fall in the same month. Tears well up in my eyes just thinking about this. For me, this time marked the loss of a people. I also lost my family, my beloved wife and son.

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