Reuters
Monday, February 16, 2009
SEOUL: The first South Korean Roman Catholic cardinal, Stephen Kim, who used his pulpit as a platform to help bring down the country's authoritarian leaders and instill democracy, died Monday at the age of 86, a church official said.
The cardinal, also known as Kim Sou Hwan, was a staunch advocate of human rights and one of the key figures in bringing democracy to a country where military strongmen ruled for decades.
Kim became a cardinal in 1968 and expanded the Catholic Church in South Korea by appealing to students, workers and the educated.
"He expressed his deep interest and grave concern for the repressed and the underprivileged and did not hesitate to speak out on the oppressive political situation," according to his biography on his personal Web site.
Kim became an international figure in 1986 and 1987, when tens of thousands of South Koreans took to the streets in rallies calling for the end of military rule and the start of free elections.
His red brick cathedral in central Seoul became a rallying point for protests. Kim, who gave refuge to protesters sought by the police, called on the president at the time, Chun Doo Hwan, to allow for the country's first open presidential elections.
"He awakened the values of human rights and social justice in the South Korean society, guiding the nation towards democratization," said Ro Kil Myung, an expert on religion and a sociology professor at Korea University.
For many in South Korea, Kim was the moral conscience of the struggle.
"He was not politically motivated in spearheading the democracy movement," Ro said. "His actions were rather based on the spirit of Catholicism."
Kim delivered stinging sermons from his pulpit calling for democracy while the opposition leaders Kim Dae Jung and Kim Young Sam, who would both later become president, sat in front rows.
After the democracy struggles that resulted in South Korea's first open presidential election in 1987, Kim fought for better human rights protections for migrant foreign workers and for Japan to take greater responsibility for the damage it caused during its 1910-1945 colonial rule over Korea.
The number of Catholics in South Korea increased more than sixfold while Kim was cardinal, reaching 5.1 million in 2005 among a population of about 49 million, according to government figures.
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(2보)(서울=연합뉴스) 정천기 기자 = 한국 가톨릭계를 대표하는 인물이자 정신적 지주 역할을 해온 김수환 추기경이 16일 오후 6시12분께 강남성모병원에서 선종(善終ㆍ서거를 뜻하는 천주교 용어)했다. 향년 87세. 1922년 5월 대구에서 출생한 고인은 1951년 사제품을 받았고 1966년 초대 마산교구장을 거쳐 1968년 대주교로 승품한 뒤 서울대교구장에 올랐다. 1969년 교황 바오로 6세에 의해 한국인 최초 추기경으로 서임된 고인은 천주교 주교회의 의장, 아시아 천주교 주교회의 구성 준비위원장 등을 역임한 뒤 1998년 정년(75세)을 넘기면서 서울대교구장에서 은퇴했다.
