SEOUL,
Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
has expressed condolence over the death of
Unification Church founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the
(North) Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported
Wednesday.
"Kim Jong-un sent a message of
condolences to the bereaved family of Moon Sun
Myung," the state news media said in a brief
English-language dispatch.
Kim said in the
message that "Though he passed away, his efforts
and feats made for the reconciliation and unity of
the nation, the reunification of the country and the
world peace will last forever," according to the
English-language report by the KCNA.
At the
age of 92, Moon died of complications from pneumonia
at his church's hospital in Gapyeong, east of Seoul,
on Monday.
The self-proclaimed messiah drew
multi-million followers around the world, building a
massive business empire in South Korea and the United
States, which includes the conservative Washington
Times and UPI news agency as well as the Segye Times
in South Korea.
Born in what is now North
Korea in 1920, Moon founded the church, officially
called the Family Federation for World Peace and
Unification, in 1954 and had lived in Japan and the
U.S. since 1957, preaching his versions of the
Bible.
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Moon
had retained a close relation with North Korea since
his visit to the country in 1991. He discussed
inter-Korean economic cooperation projects with then
North Korean leader and founder Kim Il-sung during
the visit.
Moon's church operates the joint
auto-making venture Pyeonghwa (Peace) Motors and
other resort facilities in Pyongyang.
North
Korean watchers here are raising speculations that
the North will dispatch its delegation to Moon's
funeral slated for Sept. 15.
Sources said
Pyeonghwa Motors President Park Sang-kwon, a U.S.
national, traveled to Pyongyang via China on Monday
in a visit widely believed to be aimed at discussing
the North's dispatch of representatives.
Park
accompanied Moon's U.S. national son and the chairman
of the Washington Times during their condolence visit
to the North following late leader Kim Jong-il's
death.
pbr@yna.co.kr
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