On 1.7 by the heavenly calendar in the 14th year of Cheon Il Guk (February 23, 2026), an International Academic Conference of the Institute for the Chosen Han People was held in the Multipurpose Hall of Cheon Won Gung, with approximately 300 attendees, including heads of providential organizations and Cheon Il Guk leaders.
Held under the theme “The Identity and Culture of the Han People of Korea,” the conference served as a forum to explore how the thought system of the Korean Han people—as a chosen people—can be shared and disseminated globally.
In her welcoming remarks, Kim Min-ji, Director of the Institute for the Chosen Han People, stated, “Beneath the phenomenon of Korean culture permeating the daily lives of people around the world today flows the unique spirituality of the Korean Han people.” She added, “The concept of the chosen people that we study does not refer to exclusive superiority, but rather to universal values committed to fulfilling our responsibility toward humanity, rooted in the heart cultivated through a history of suffering.”
In his opening address, Vice Director Oota Tomohisa of the Institute for the Chosen Han People emphasized, “We are heading toward a world of one family of humanity centered on True Parents, and this present age is the very age in which those True Parents, who are that center, have appeared.” He expressed the hope that the conference would serve as “a significant occasion for conveying to future generations the historic event of the manifestation of the Only Begotten Daughter.”
Delivering the keynote lecture, Lee Gi-sik, President of the Institute for the Chosen Han People, emphasized that “for the Korean people to attend True Parents and participate in the providence of salvation is not a privilege but a matter of fundamental responsibility.” He further explained, “The chosen people of this age should not be confined to lineage or nationality, but should expand into a “chosen people of the heart” — those who reflect the heart of Heavenly Parent and embrace the suffering of humanity.” He added, “Our mission is to lead the way toward a world in which all humanity becomes one family attending Heavenly Parent.”
In the academic session, Dr. Yang Soon-seok, Deputy Director Katsuhiko Noguchi of the Japan Doctrine Research Institute, and Professor Moon Min-young of the University of North Carolina, and Professor Moon Min-young (University of North Carolina), among others, delivered presentations examining the identity of the Korean Han people from theological and cultural perspectives. Participants also reached a consensus that the culture of filial piety and love of the Korean people could serve as an ethical foundation for modern society.
