S. Koreans mourn death of their first Roman Catholic cardinal

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- Braving an early morning cold spell, hundreds of South
Koreans flocked to Seoul's landmark cathedral Tuesday, offering their prayers to
Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, the country's first cardinal who stood with the people in
the pro-democracy movement of the 1980's.
Kim, who was promoted to the rank of cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1969, died at
Seoul's St. Mary's Hospital Monday evening at the age of 86. He was said to have
died peacefully, surrounded by family and members of the parish.
Kim's body was laid in a glass coffin at the Myeongdong Cathedral in central
Seoul late Monday. The church has been drawing crowds of faithful wanting to pay
their last respects and catch a glimpse of the man who had been their spiritual
leader for decades.
The cathedral will be open to all citizens, including non-Catholics, for four
days until Friday when a funeral mass will be held, officials at the Archdiocese
of Seoul said.
President Lee Myung-bak, a Protestant, called Kim's death a "great loss to the
nation," praising the cardinal's symbolic role in the country's democratic and
labor movements.
South Koreans remember Kim not only as their first Roman Catholic cardinal but
also as an ardent supporter of democracy who unreservedly stood up against the
authoritarian governments that reigned here from the 1960s through the 80s.
During his sermons, Kim often outspokenly criticized the governments of Park
Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan for suppressing student activists and labor unions.
In 1987, he hid dozens of anti-government student activists at the Myeongdong
Cathedral and told authorities who came to arrest them, "You'll be able to get to
the students only after you get past me, the priests and the nuns."
Kim was born to a poor family in the southeastern city of Daegu in 1922 as the
youngest son of eight children. His family's Catholic faith was considered
unusual at the time in the traditionally Confucian society, with Catholicism
being first introduced to the peninsula as late as 1784. Kim's grandfather died
in prison after being persecuted for his religion.
Kim was the Archbishop of Seoul from 1968 until 1998 and also showed devotion to
North Korean churches and their congregations. He established an inter-Korean
religious organization in 1995, in hopes that religious persecution would one day
cease in the North and the two nations would reunify.
The cardinal believed South Korea had a responsibility to provide food aid to the
impoverished North regardless of political circumstances.
The number of Catholics in South Korea increased more than six-fold while Kim was
cardinal, topping 5 million in 2005 out of the country's 48 million people,
according to state data.
Followers of Buddhism, one of Korea's oldest religions, make up about 23 percent
of the population while Christians account for nearly 30 percent.
Kim's death leaves Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk as the only remaining South Korean
cardinal. Cheong succeeded Kim in 2006.
Kim's eyes were donated to two patients awaiting cornea transplants, per his
final wishes.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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