Rev. Moon charged with overfishing

The Associated Press / August 30, 2000

Kodiak, Alaska (AP) - The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, head of the Unification Church, was charged along with his wife with catching too many fish during a visit to Alaska.

Moon pulled in 10 coho salmon - twice the legal limit - and his wife, Hak Ja Han, 47, took six, said Trooper Sgt. Joanna Roop, a state wildlife enforcement officer. Husband and wife face fines of $250 each.

Officers said they saw Moon, 80, catch the salmon Friday while he was with about a dozen other people on Marka Bay, about 225 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The Unification Church is the largest taxpayer and the biggest private employer in Kodiak, one of the nation's busiest fishing ports. Its assets include fishing boats and a fish-processing plant.

A spokesman for the Unification Church's Kodiak congregation said Moon was unavailable for comment.