South Korean church holds mass wedding ceremony (9 images)

About 4,000 couples were married in a mass ceremony at the CheongShim Peace World Center in Gapyeong, South Korea, on Thursday.

The ceremony was officiated by Hak Ja Han Moon, wife of late Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon.

20,000 additional couples participated in the ceremony via the internet, according to the church.

Newly married couples celebrate during a blessing ceremony. Participating couples came from 64 countries for the mass wedding, which has been a tradition at the church since the early 1960s. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI

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Couples dedicate flowers for late Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI

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Hak Ja Han Moon (R), wife of late Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, presides over the ceremony. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI

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Newly married couples walk on the stage during the blessing ceremony. Some 30,000 church members and guests witnessed the ceremony. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI

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