Seoul (AsiaNews) – In a message released on the occasion of the 26th Human Rights Sunday scheduled for 10 December, Mgr Boniface Choi Ki-san, bishop of Incheon and chairman of the Committee for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, writes that “[t]rue effort for the reconciliation of the Korean people should include defending the human dignity of [our] North Korean brethren as well as giving material aid to them. We should struggle to improve the human rights situation and to make the freedom of faith and of missions recognized in North Korea.”

In “our society,” he adds, “the dignity of human life is not valued sufficiently, so the poor and vulnerable life is not properly protected.” Indeed, in his opinion, suicide, abortion, cloning of human embryos and capital punishment are currently the greatest threats to the dignity of human life. For this reason, “[w]e must strengthen our effort to protect the weaker members and minorities of society” like unborn children so that they do not pay for our weaknesses.

In his message, titled Human dignity is the highest value, the prelate also urges Catholics to get ready conscientiously for the presidential election on 19 December. Given the fact that every “citizen has the right and duty to vote, we should elect as president a candidate who respects human dignity and takes it as the supreme value in making decisions and carrying out policies.”