Washington Times
Thousands of people fill the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Some 15,000 people fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Family members of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon bow after offering flowers before a portrait of the reverend during his funeral, called the Seonghwa, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Grandson Shin Jun, left, and Kwon Jin Moon, one of the sons of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, carry a portrait of the reverend as the process out of the stadium at the end of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Behind them comes the reverend's casket. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mrs. Moon, second from right, follows her husband's casket as it makes its way out of the stadium of the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. The reverend's funeral was held following a 13-day mourning period. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Thousands of mourners line up outside the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church. Some 15,000 fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mrs. Moon sits in one of two seats reserved for the "True Parents," the other one obviously empty, during her husband, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon's, funeral on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A mourner picks up a program for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church. Some 15,000 fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mrs. Moon sits in one of two seats reserved for the "True Parents," with the other one being empty, during the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church. Some 15,000 fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mourners make their way up the steps while others rest on them, heading to the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church. Some 15,000 fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. Because it was first-come, first-served for many of the seats, most mourners arrived early and spent time outside on the steps. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A police officer directs traffic outside the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, where hundreds of busloads of mourners arrived for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mourners arrive at the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A staff member eats in the cafeteria of the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea before the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. Although the funeral did not start until 10 a.m., mourners arrived hours in advance, so staff members had to be at the facility in the wee hours of the morning. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Ushers hand out programs to attendees at the Seonghwa, or
ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western
terms, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012
at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea.
(Barbara
L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A security guard stands at the back of the stadium during a video presentation about the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon's life during the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
People walk through a hallway past a "peace" sign that is meant to look like clouds at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, the day of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon's funeral. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A Universal Peace Federation (UPF) usher holds up an umbrella to signal to people where to go in one of the corridors of the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A huge crowd of mourners who could not make it into the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center to witness the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 gather outside the building to watch the event live on a giant screen. The stadium holds about 15,000 people and was standing room only. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A man takes a nap with a newspaper bearing the face of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon covering his own face in the corridor of the stadium of the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, the day of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, for the reverend. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A man reads a paper that talks about the life of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon in the stadium of the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, the day of te reverend's funeral. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mourners take pictures of a television screen showing the casket of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon leave the palace to head to the stadium for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A group of second-generation family Unification Church members, dressed in yellow, at right, process into the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 to line the walkway where the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's casket will make its way to the stage for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A group of second-generation family Unification Church members, dressed in yellow, process into the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 to line the walkway where the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's casket will make its way to the stage for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Grandson Shin Jun, left, and Kwon Jin Moon, one of the sons of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, carry in a portrait of the reverend at the beginning of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. At left in yellow are members of second-generation Unification Church families. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Grandson Shin Jun, left, and Kwon Jin Moon, one of the sons of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, carry in a portrait of the reverend at the beginning of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Behind them, brothers Kook Jin and Hyung Jin lead the casket in. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Family members of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon sit up front in traditional Korean garb at the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony honoring their father at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
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Staff members watch the video honoring the life of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon during the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mourners sit on the floor of the stadium on order to witness the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Some 15,000 people fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Dignitaries and honored guests, including Graciela Rompani de Pacheco, right, former first lady of Uruguay, were invited to offer flowers before a portrait of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon during his funeral in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
With members of second-generation Unification Church families lining the walkway in yellow, the family of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon processes out of the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea at the end of his funeral on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mrs. Moon, center, is escorted out of the stadium by her two youngest daughters following the funeral for her husband, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A man sits on the stairs outside the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 while female mourners, dressed in white, as is the tradition in Korean culture, walk up the steps for the funeral service for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A mother feeds her children on the steps of the stadium outside the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. Because thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, many arrived very early and took a break to eat once there. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Women and girls with the Korea-Japan United Chorus wait to perform at the funeral service for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
An usher hands out programs to attendees of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon at Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A father adjusts his son's clothes out in the hallway of the stadium at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea before the funeral service for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
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A little boy tries to get this older woman's attention as she is reading the program for the funeral for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon inside the stadium of the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Young men and boys who could not get into the stadium to witness the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon's funeral in person sit on rocks outside to watch it on a large screen. The funeral was held Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Mourners watch on a screen as the cars carrying the family and casket of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon leave the palace to make their way to the stadium for the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A woman cries during the funeral for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
A woman cries as the casket enters the room during the funeral for the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Grandson Shin Jun, left, and Kwon Jin Moon, one of the sons of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, carry in a portrait of the reverend at the beginning of the Seonghwa, or ascension, ceremony, known as the traditional funeral in western terms, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. Thousands of mourners from countries around the world came to witness the event and say goodbye to the head of the Unification Church. Some 15,000 fit into the stadium, where the funeral was held, with another 10,000 to 15,000 expected to be watching live simulcasts around the complex. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
The Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea is filled to capacity for the funeral of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Hyung Jin Moon, left, and his wife light candles during the funeral service for Hyung Jin's father, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
Hyung Jin Moon and his wife light candles during the funeral service for Hyung Jin's father, the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)
At left, Hyung Jin Moon, son of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, and his wife exit the stage after lighting candles while Mrs. Moon sits in one of the chairs reserved for the "True Parents" during the funeral service for her husband on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, Korea. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)