THE religious cult known as the Moonies scored one of its rare public relations victories this week, when a church-sponsored dance troupe of 38 young girls completed the first private cultural tour of North Korea in 50 years.
The 12-day visit by the Little Angels was hailed as a major step in the gradual thaw in hostilities between the two Koreas, but behind the pancake performance make-up was a more mercantile mission.
Beneath the promotional gloss provided by the Unification Church's headline-grabbing mass weddings and oddball philosophy of sexual purification, is one of the world's most business-minded religious sects.
Led by 78-year-old founder Reverend Moon Sun-myung, the church has amassed an array of business interests worldwide, including the Washington Times and major South Korean conglomerate Tongil - which means unification in Korean.
The Little Angels tour, organised by the church's Korean Cultural Foundation, made historic inroads into the acrid relations between the Korean neighbours.
Two of three performances were staged before the regime's leadership, and tour leader Pak Bo-hi met a senior Communist Party secretary in charge of unification issues, Kim Yong-sun.
