SEOUL (UCAN): The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea [CBCK] called on the country’s people to use their wisdom properly to elect a new president after the nation’s top court ousted the impeached president, Yoon Seok-yeol, following his trial.
“History always repeats itself, but today, our country and its people have reached a painful point where they must write an unfortunate chapter of history that they never wanted,” Bishop Matthias Ri Long-hoon, president of the CBCK said in a statement on April 4.
“For the second time in our history, the impeachment of a president we elected with our own hands has been accepted once again,” Bishop Ri said in the statement released shortly after Yoon’s appeal was dismissed by the Constitutional Court as millions watched the live broadcast of the verdict.
Yoon is the second sitting South Korean president to be impeached by the court after Park Geun-hye in 2017.
The 64-year-old Yoon was suspended by lawmakers over his attempt to subvert civilian rule by declaring martial law on December 3, which he withdrew shortly after strong protests [Sunday Examiner, 15 December 2024]. He deployed soldiers to parliament to thwart a vote for his impeachment trial.
He was later arrested on insurrection charges following months of political turmoil triggered by massive rallies of his opposers and supporters.
History always repeats itself, but today, our country and its people have reached a painful point where they must write an unfortunate chapter of history that they never wanted
Bishop Ri
“The legal time of the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol has come to an end. Now, in the time that follows, we must gather our wisdom to properly elect a new president who will lead our country,” the bishop said.
As per South Korean law, presidential elections must be held within 60 days.
Koreans must elect a president who deeply recognises that the power of the president is a power entrusted to him by the people, a power that must serve the people, and that the mindset and attitude of sacrificing oneself at any time to protect the lives and property of the people is the foundation of politics, Bishop Ri said.
The bishop called on the state power to “make every effort to restore the people’s trust and achieve harmony.”
He said, “In particular, I hope that politicians will not forget that they exist to serve the people, respect each other, and move toward a politics of mutual prosperity where they listen to each other’s opinions. In this way, the process of electing leaders with responsibility and morality for social reconciliation and the realisation of the common good must be realized democratically and maturely.”
The Korean Catholic Church wholeheartedly prays so that the people’s choice in the future can become “a stepping-stone for justice to be realised and true peace to be achieved” in our country, he added.
