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Cardinal Stephen Kim Su-hwan told an entourage led by Uri Party head Chung Dong-young, which paid a courtesy call to the cardinal Thursday morning, that he was concerned about the state of the nation, including North-South relations and the coming elections. ¡°I¡¯m worried about the nation¡¯s future,¡± he said.
About relations between the two Koreas, Kim said that mutual cooperation among the Korean people is being stressed, but nationalist spirit can only be attained in a situation where human rights and freedom are protected. He expressed concern that the country was moving toward a closed and exclusive form of nationalism. He went on to say that it would not be enough to simply follow 6.15 Joint Declaration, and that the North Korean human rights situation must be solved.
¡°If the Uri Party solves the North Korean human rights problem, I will support them 100 percent,¡± the cardinal said. ¡°Nowadays, in our society, there is an anti-American, pro-North Korean tendency. Isn¡¯t this something we should be on our guard against?¡± He warned that it would be a mistake for the entire society to move in that direction.
¡°One of my concerns is that the influence of socialistic understanding is widening, while our understanding of our own society is limited,¡± Kim said.
¡°I might sound conservative, but please listen,¡± Kim said, asking for the Uri Party to keep in mind the aspirations of all citizens, ¡°Even the Uri Party, if it wins in the coming general elections, can¡¯t help but become more conservative if it is bring balance to progressive demands.¡±
About plans to move the nation¡¯s capital, Kim expressed more concern, saying that the move would not be in accordance with the nation¡¯s mission to reunify. In response to Chung and his companion¡¯s assertion that the plan would involve the moving of only administrative functions, like between Washington and New York in the United States, Kim said that if the President leaves Seoul, everything would follow him.
About the general elections in April, Kim advised politicians not to fight over the coming vote. He asked whether it was true if the principle player behind the election movement group ¡°Citizen Participation 0415¡± was President Roh Moo-hyun¡¯s personal fan club ¡°Nosamo,¡± to which Rep. Shin Gi-nam replied that ¡°0415¡± was a spontaneously organized group that was only calling for fair elections. Shin added, however, that politicians must behave well, so that fights do not occur.
(Kim Hong-jin mailer@chosun.com )
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