The Unification Church originated in South Korea in the early 1960's. The "Reverend" Sun Myung Moon has always been considered the founder and head of this cult, however, there is some speculation that it was started with backing and assistance of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency by one Kim Chong Pil who later used "Reverend" Moon to continue the movement.
Moon had a somewhat notorious background before that. He had started his first church sometime around 1954 and had at leaast a couple of run-in's with the Korean law before coming to the U.S. where his tactics in recruiting members included brainwashing and other unethical activities, plus his careless and conniving methods of tax evasion and such matters kept him in hot water in this country. He was sentenced to Federal prison in 1982 and served 13 months.
The church, to have been so young, grew mightily both financially and numerically. They sought out young people (college students primarily) and, using the brainwashing techniques, were very successful. The recruits were sent out to sell flowers and to search out new prospects. They became know as "The flower people" as well as "Moonies". The activities of this church, "Reverend" Moon and his followers, are extensive and interesting. I urge you to visit the links I have listed below and spend some time studying this pseudo religion which is more political than religious. The first link below is to a long and extensive coverage of this movement, however, it is broken down into subjects and can readily be studied one part at a time for those who have an interest in this.