They've been called a cult, accused of coercive fundraising, and legally disbanded in Japan. But in a mountainous town nestled in South Korea, thousands of "Moonies" gathered this month for a mass wedding.
Around 1,300 couples from dozens of countries tied the knot at the Unification Church’s sprawling headquarters in Gapyeong, north of Seoul, under the supervision of their controversial leader, known as the "holy mother".
The spectacular tradition, which dates back to the first so-called "blessing ceremony" featuring 36 couples in 1961, is an integral part of the broadly neo-Christian beliefs held by the church, founded by Moon Sun-myung and now run by his widow, Han Hak-ja.
The church claims these mass weddings can help reverse South Korea's woeful birthrate, improve family values, and ultimately bring about Moon's goal of completing the unfulfilled mission of Jesus Christ to restore humanity to a state of "sinless" purity.
"I'm just really grateful," American Emmanuel Muyongo, 29, told AFP at the ceremony, where he married his Japanese wife, whom he met years ago and grew close to at a church in the United States.
Muyongo's own parents married at a mass wedding, and he said that he was honored "to experience what my parents' experienced".
"We love you, Holy Mother Han!" the couples shouted in unison at one point during the event, which featured blaring fanfare and confetti cannons.
Han, 82, looked almost eerily calm throughout the festivities, once slowly waving at her excited followers while wearing sunglasses and a green dress.
The church, which was founded in 1954, claims to have around three million followers globally -- including 300,000 in South Korea, 600,000 in Japan -- and oversees a sprawling business empire encompassing construction, tourism, education and media, among others.
But in Japan, the church has been accused of coercive fundraising, especially after the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, allegedly carried out by a man who harbored resentment toward the sect.
A court there revoked its legal status as an organization last month, although its members can continue to meet.
Abe's accused killer blamed the church for his family's financial ruin, after his mother made huge donations. Abe -- along with other world leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump -- had sent video messages to events linked to the church.
But at the mass wedding this month, followers were unfazed by the recent legal blow, with the visibly emotional couples -- including Japanese -- radiating joy and gratitude to Han.
After Moon's 2012 death, Han stepped up to lead the church and is now referred to by members as god's "only begotten daughter" and the "holy mother".
The church has links to everything from a major South Korean newspaper to a high-end ski resort used for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. It is also affiliated with esteemed art institutes.
In 1991, Han joined her late husband -- revered by followers as a messiah but dismissed by critics as a charlatan -- on his trip to North Korea to meet with its founder, Kim Il Sung, to discuss the reunification of the divided peninsula.
When her husband died, North Korea's current leader Kim Jong Un sent a personal message of condolence. He later presented her with a pair of North Korean Pungsan dogs, a token of his goodwill.
This week, South Korean media alleged that the church had bribed former first lady Kim Keon Hee -- whose husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, was recently ousted over his declaration of martial law -- with a diamond necklace worth around $41,970.
The church has appealed the Japanese court's decision.
Experts say that Japan, Korea's former colonial ruler, has long been a financial hub for the sect.
"Usually, religious businesses like Unification Church target isolated lower-middle class individuals," Vladimir Tikhonov, Korean Studies professor at the University of Oslo, told AFP.
"Their main 'hunting ground' is not South Korea, it is actually Japan," he added.
Since the 1960s, the church is believed to have generated as much as 80 percent of its global revenues from Japan, according to Levi McLaughlin, a religious studies professor at North Carolina State University.
During Japan's 1980s bubble economy, its branch reportedly sent up to 10 billion yen ($70 million) per month to the South Korean headquarters.
Japanese followers are told to "atone" for the country's colonial past, and McLaughlin told AFP the mass weddings have been framed as a form of "indemnity".
The church plays a role in match-making couples, experts say, with Japanese women often matched with non-Japanese men -- and critics slam the cult-like cutting of family ties that sometimes results.
But this month in Gapyeong, more than 1,000 couples -- each bride in near-identical white gowns and modest tiaras -- wiped away tears, held hands tightly, and swayed to music as they danced and took selfies.
The couples "started from happiness and love, but it seems that those who don't understand it well are misinterpreting it and only seeing the negative aspects", Remi Kosuga, 27, one of the brides, told AFP. "We simply want to believe in and learn about love. ... I hope people can see that."
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