Former U.S. President Obama responds to a question about the existence of aliens by saying, "They exist." [Photo = Yonhap News]

In February, an indirect debate regarding UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) occurred between U.S. President Donald Trump and former President Obama. It began with remarks made by Obama during an appearance on a podcast. When asked about the existence of aliens, Obama replied, "They are out there."

When reporters questioned Trump about Obama's statement, he responded that he was unaware of alien existence but criticized Obama for a major blunder in leaking classified information. Trump then ordered relevant departments to disclose information regarding UFOs.

Obama: "Possible existence, but no evidence of contact"

As his remarks caused controversy, Obama retracted them the following day, stating that while the universe is vast and the possibility of life existing elsewhere is real, the great distances make alien visits to Earth unlikely. He further added that during his presidency, he had not seen any evidence of aliens having contacted the United States.

In 2009, shortly before Obama's inauguration, a UFO was captured on camera by U.S. broadcast footage as it appeared and disappeared over the Washington Monument, sparking widespread interest. This is cited as a reason for Obama's interest in UFOs.

The U.S. government, which had officially denied the reality of UFOs, first acknowledged their existence in 2021. In the report "Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena June 25, 2021," submitted to the U.S. Congress by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) defined UFOs as "physical objects" that pose a challenge to U.S. national security and require further investigation.

(Most of the UAP reported probably do represent physical objects given that a majority of UAP were registered across multiple sensors, to include radar, infrared, electro-optical, weapon seekers, and visual observation.)

Despite Trump's directive for information disclosure, it is unlikely that the U.S. government will release information beyond the 2021 ODNI report. Humanity on Earth, not just Americans, has not yet achieved the spiritual maturity or scientific advancement to fully accept UFOs, and the existence of aliens could fundamentally shake Western civilization, which is based on Christianity.

There is an American film called 'Mars Attacks!'. Aliens from Mars attack and destroy America, only to die with exploding heads to the tune of an old pop song.

British physicist Stephen Hawking suggests that life may exist elsewhere in the universe, given the estimated 100 billion galaxies. However, he likens aliens to violent, green monsters who wander in search of habitable planets, warning that encountering them could lead to a fate similar to that of Native Americans on Earth. Vice President Vance recently defined aliens as devils in an interview with Fox News.

The Star that Guided the Magi Also Falls into the UFO Category

Regardless of whether the U.S. government discloses information, records pertaining to UFOs can be found extensively across Eastern and Western cultures and throughout history. Three Magi were guided by a star in the sky to witness the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, offering him gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Do UFOs Exist?

The star led them and stopped over the place where the child was. It was not a star but a shining flying object. In the absence of the word "airplane," shining objects moving in the sky were described as stars. A luminous object hovering low in the sky and moving at the speed of a walking person is a UFO by today's definition.

Airplanes, spacecraft, helicopters, and drones cannot keep pace with a walking person. Even Noah's Ark can be explained as a large floating ship UFO. There is also the founding of Shinshi by Emperor Hwanung of Dangun Joseon, as mentioned in Hwandangogi and Samguk Yusa.

Hwanung, son of Hwanin, the Hanja for God, received the Cheonbuin from Emperor Hwanin to save the human world. He led three thousand followers, along with Pungbaek, Usa, and Unsa, descending from the heavens to Taebaek Mountain. This marks the founding of the Korean nation and is commemorated as Gaecheonjeol (National Foundation Day), a public holiday. It is believed that Hwanung and his followers, ancestors of the Korean people, would have arrived by UFO if they had not flown like birds.

Records of flying objects in the sky frequently appear in historical documents such as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. In August 1609, Governor of Gangwon Province, Yi Hyeong-uk, reported sightings of strange objects flying in the sky over Ganseong, Wonju, Gangneung, Chuncheon, and Yangyang. These accounts were recorded in the 'Gwanghaegun Ilgi' (Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty) on September 25th of that year.

"In Gangneung, at the si hour on August 25th, while the sun was bright and clear, an object suddenly appeared in the sky making a soft sound. Its shape resembled a large gourd, and it seemed to be falling to the ground. As it descended, its shape gradually enlarged to about 3 to 4 jang, its color was very red, and a continuous white mist followed in its wake before disappearing after a while.

After it disappeared, thunder was heard, shaking heaven and earth. In Yangyang, at the mi hour on August 25th, a round, luminous object resembling a washbasin suddenly appeared on the ground beneath the eaves of the house of Kim Mun-wi, a court official. It initially seemed to descend to the ground but soon ascended about 1 jang, as if some force was lifting it into the air.

Its size was about one embrace, and its length was about one and a half rolls of fabric. The eastern side was white, the center glowed green, and the western side was red. Looking at it, it spun in a circle like a rainbow, resembling a flag. It rose halfway into the air and turned entirely red, with a pointed top and a flat bottom. It then ascended slightly north in the middle of the sky and turned into white clouds, appearing clear and pleasing." - Lee Seong-gyu, 'UFOs Fly and Transgender Chickens Crow'

They Come From Highly Advanced Planets

According to "Aliens Among Us," translated by Kim Soo-hyun and authored by Ruth Montgomery, aliens come to Earth because all beings are brothers and sisters from a single Creator.

Aliens can disassemble the atomic structure of their bodies and spacecraft. Upon reaching Earth's stratosphere, they reassemble the atoms. Aliens are beings from highly advanced planets who pursue higher spiritual progress and play a role in the development of humanity.

Although aliens have been visiting Earth for thousands of years, their visits have increased recently to inform humanity that they will face disaster if they cannot find a way to resolve conflicts.

The message of UFOs is consistent with the teachings of Hwandangogi's Cheonbugyeong, such as "Ilsi Musil Il" (One beginning, no beginning) and "Iljong Mujong Il" (One end, no end), which are the teachings of Hwanin, Hwanung, and Dangun.

All things are one, originating from one and returning to one. There is no beginning and no end. Life and death are one, and life is the pursuit of the evolution of the soul through the process of past lives and reincarnation. The teachings of UFOs and Hwandangogi can also be found in the traditions of Jesus, Siddhartha Gautama, Zhuangzi of China, Native Americans, and Australian Aboriginals.

It aligns with Zhuangzi's explanations of "unity of self and world" (物我一如), "true person" (眞人), and "Dao" (道), as well as Siddhartha Gautama's teachings of renouncing discrimination and attachment: "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form."

"Therefore, one is one with what is liked and one with what is not liked. One is one with that which is one and one with that which is not one. That which is one is the multitude of heaven, and that which is not one is the multitude of people. The state where the things of heaven and the things of man do not try to conquer each other is the state of the true person." - Translated by Oh Kang-nam, 'Zhuangzi'

The Native American proverb "Why am I me and not you?" poses a question. The teaching is that you, I, and all things are one.

"We Native Americans believe that the Creator is within us, that we are ourselves and a part of ourselves. In the beginning, there was a teaching. That teaching told us to have compassion for each other, to live and work together, and to depend on each other. We are all connected. That teaching said we all came from the same source.

Therefore, all beings are respected equally and move towards the common goal of spiritual evolution. In the beginning, we came from love. To harm one person is to harm all of humanity. And to respect one person is to respect all of humanity." - Translated by Ryu Si-hwa, collection of Native American speeches, 'Why Am I Me and Not You?'

There is also content from Marlo Morgan's book "Mutant Message Down Under," translated by Ryu Si-hwa, which features the message of the Aboriginal people of Australia.

"The truth is that all life is one. There is only one humanity in this universe, and only shadows differ. If you harm others, you are harming yourself. If you help others, you are helping yourself. Our ancestors, future generations yet to be born, and all beings currently on Earth are one. All things in the world do not perish but merely transform into something else. All humans are souls making a brief visit to this world. All souls are eternal beings."

They Exist in a World Where Life and Death Are One

The following are Jesus's teachings from "Talmud Emmanuel," translated by Lee Jae-geon.

"Since creation is one within itself, all life that is alive and existing will become one within creation. This is the law of creation that proves that all humans, animals, and plants, and all living beings are one within themselves. If anyone believes that all things are two or three, they are mistaken. Because all things are one.

What someone believes to be two or three is, in reality, one. The body is also a part of the soul that appears in different forms and substances. The soul and the body are not two. The soul is ignorant until it gains knowledge through thought and inquiry. This must be realized to perfect the soul. Creation is eternal and immortal, as is the human soul. Human lives are destined to achieve the perfection of the soul.

Some of you who are following me will accept the wisdom of my teachings. Therefore, they will become spiritually great through future reincarnations. However, some others will misunderstand the wisdom of my teachings and spread false teachings about me, making it very difficult to discover the truth in future lives."

We can see Jesus's anguish in foreseeing that narrow and exclusive religions, unable to understand the teaching that all things are one and that you and I are one, would become seeds of human conflict. Like Jesus, Siddhartha Gautama also did not leave behind written works. He knew how people who couldn't understand his spoken words would distort them through imperfect writing.

Jesus and Buddha used many analogies and parables, which were easier to understand than direct statements, for people on Earth who could not grasp their message. Fearing distortion after his death, Siddhartha Gautama, on his deathbed, told his disciples to let go of and discard everything he had said.

Religious organizations pursue wealth, power, fame, and status by using heaven and hell. They reject each other as heretics and repeatedly engage in terrorism and war. Even within the same religion, factions feud and wage war. This is the nature of exclusive and narrow religions tied to nationality.

The war currently ongoing between the United States and Israel against Iran, with stated reasons such as preventing nuclear weapons development, human rights abuses, and securing oil, is merely a pretext. At its core lies religion. The clash between Christianity and Islam is a continuation of the medieval Crusades. This is evident in the fact that the primary justification of preventing Iran's nuclear weapons development directly conflicts with Israel's nuclear weapons development, which was completed with the U.S.'s tacit approval and tolerance.

The Mongols, who built vast empires spanning Asia and Europe, pursued a policy of embracing all religions of the East and West. This is because the teachings of Hwandangogi, that all things are one, remained in the culture of the descendants of Dangun Joseon and Goguryeo. The Mongol Empire recognized the religions of conquered peoples and prevented them from acting antagonistically toward each other.

Kublai Khan of the Mongol Empire sent an envoy to the Pope in Rome requesting 100 Christian scholars and held grand ceremonies for Christians on Easter and Christmas. He also celebrated major festivals of Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism with great fanfare.

"When asked why he did this, he replied that there are four prophets whom everyone worships and respects. Christians call their God Jesus Christ, Saracens call him Muhammad, Jews call him Moses, and idolaters (Buddhists) call him Sagamoni Burcan, the first god among many idols. I respect and worship all four, and I especially ask for help and offer prayers to the one who is the greatest and truest in heaven." - Translated by Kim Ho-dong, 'The Travels of Marco Polo'

While rudimentary compared to aliens who travel through time and space in UFOs, Earth scientists are discovering through quantum mechanics research that matter and non-matter are one. The fundamental principle of quantum mechanics is that light is both a particle and a wave. Existence and non-existence are both one.

Obama states that while aliens may exist in the infinitely vast universe, the great distance makes their visits to Earth difficult. The closest star outside Earth's solar system, Alpha Centauri, is 4.3 light-years away. The Milky Way galaxy, to which Earth's solar system belongs, is 100,000 light-years in diameter and contains hundreds of billions of stars, including the Sun.

The entire universe is estimated to be hundreds of billions of light-years in diameter and is thought to contain trillions of galaxies, including the Milky Way. With current Earth spacecraft, it would take 100,000 years to reach even the closest star, Alpha Centauri. However, aliens who build UFOs that navigate the infinite expanse of space have overcome gravity and the speed of light, conquering time and space.

They are not beings who live in the third dimension like Earthlings. Existing in a fourth-dimensional world where life and death are one, they have reached the level of souls like Jesus or Siddhartha Gautama. Rather than attacking, dominating, and killing other life forms, they, like Jesus, choose to be killed in their physical form. Knowing that life and death are one, they do not cling to life and prioritize the growth of their souls.

According to the records of UFO experiencers, aliens do not consume other life forms and do not engage in competitive sports. They pursue a life dedicated to spiritual evolution and engage in artistic activities that foster the maturation of the individual's body and soul in areas of need. They wish for humanity on Earth to achieve spiritual evolution. They send beings like Jesus and Siddhartha Gautama to help humanity.

Spiritual evolution is a task that must be undertaken by oneself; it cannot be done by another. In the infinite universe, there are infinitely many stars, like the sun, that radiate energy independently, and there are infinitely many planets, like Earth, that orbit stars. The idea that life should exist only on Earth is the arrogance of immature souls who lack study and discipline.

◆ Hwang Doo-hyong

Former Washington Correspondent for Yonhap News

Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Yonhap News