Korean Catholics march for environment, social justice
Loss of lives in ferry accident, Halloween crush and floods highlight 'unfair and senseless' social system, says church official
A man offers an alcoholic beverage to pay tribute to those who perished during the Halloween stampede, at a makeshift memorial outside the Itaewon subway station in Seoul on Oct. 31, 2022. (Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP)
By UCA News reporter
Published: August 01, 2023 10:54 AM GMT
About 1,000 South Korean Catholics marched on the street and attended a special Mass to grieve those who died in various disasters and called on the government to ensure justice and compensation for victims’ families.
Catholics joined by rights activists and environmental groups paid tributes to the victims of the 2014 MV Sewol ferry sinking, the Halloween crush last year, and devastating flash floods last month.
Sewol ferry sinking en route from Incheon to Jeju Island on April 14, 2014, killed 306 of total 476 passengers and crew. Some 250 victims were high school students.
The Halloween crush in Itaewon district of Seoul on last Oct. 29 left 156 dead and hundreds injured. Most victims were young people.
The flooding last month killed at least 46 people and displaced about 5,500 people.
The Justice and Peace Committee of the Daejeon diocese organized the event on July 24.
The commission’s head Father Matthew Kim Yong-tae said they sought to highlight how an “unfair and senseless” society can lead to the unfortunate loss of human lives.
“These are unfortunate accidents that show we are unable to pass a good planet to our children,” the priest said during his homily.
“The universal values of justice, peace, freedom, equality, life, love, and human rights in our lives must be applied fairly to everyone,” he said.
Various rights organizations expressed solidarity with the program. Among the groups were the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the Daejeon Federation for Environmental Movements, and the Daecheon Candlelight Action Preparatory Committee.
Song Jin-young, who lost her daughter in the Halloween disaster, addressed the gathering.
"We must work together to enact a special law to prevent an incident like the Itaewon disaster."
Gloria Gil, 67, who participated in the Mass said: “I felt sorry for the reality that fairness and justice are disappearing.”
Many young people who do not follow any religion also joined the Mass.
Park Ji-young, 28, said she came to attend the Mass hoping to see society changes so no more "lives are lost in careless accidents" like that of the Halloween tragedy.
Dominic Song who attended Mass with his 11-month-old baby expressed concerns over Japan’s plan to release contaminated water from the disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant.
“My heart aches when I think of looking at the sea contaminated with radioactive waste and being showered with radioactive rain. This will cause suffering for our children,” he said.
"Everyone knows from common sense that releasing radioactively contaminated water into the sea is a disaster, but the government doesn't seem to think so," he added.
This report is brought to you in collaboration with the Catholic Times of Korea.