S Korean bishops issue statement with four criteria for a good president

On the eve of a critical vote on 3 June, the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea informs voters and politicians of the traits that elected officials should have to truly promote the common good: serve the people, unite it beyond ideological and social barriers, promote peace with the North, and commit to safeguarding the environment.

Seoul (AsiaNews) – South Korea’s Catholic bishops have issued a statement, laying out four criteria for voters to inform their choice in the upcoming presidential election, set for 3 June.

One criterion is a “president who unites and gathers”, especially in a society where “ideological conflicts, generational conflicts, and gender conflicts are becoming more and more intense.”

The election comes after months of political strife that culminated in the impeachment by the Supreme Court of President Yoon Suk-yeol after he tried to impose martial law.

Now three main candidates are facing off: Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea, who lost by a handful of votes to Yoon in 2022 and is now the favourite in the polls; Kim Moon-soo of the People's Power Party (Yoon’s conservative party), and Lee Jun-seok, former leader of the PPP who created the new Reform Party.

Without telling voters for whom to vote, the bishops released a message a few days ago addressed to Catholics. Signed by Bishop John Kim Son-tae of Jeonju, chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK), it indicates four requirements that elected officials ought to meet for the “realization of the common good”.

First, South Korea needs a “president who serves the people.” All branches of government, including the judiciary, as well as the media, must “serve the people, not lording it over” them.

The bishops hope that the new head of state will pursue “a healthy politics that can reform and adjust institutions, promote best practices, and overcome undue pressure and bureaucratic inertia" (Laudato Si', 181)

The second requirement is to unite the country, transcending its many cleavages and ideological divisions, as well as the worsening “gap between rich and poor, and the socially disadvantaged,” a problem that is “being ignored,” as well as end the “exclusion of foreigners, especially migrant workers and refugees”.

“A good leader is one who strives to make diverse voices heard,” reads the statement. The very fact of being a republic “means that various groups or forces with different ideas and interests live together in harmony without being discriminated against or ostracized.”

Having “a president who cultivates peace” is the third requirement. “Korea is a divided country. Tensions and conflicts between the North and the South have a great negative impact on the quality of life of individual citizens and are a major obstacle to the prosperity of the country and the development of democracy.”

Unfortunately, “we are still tempted by the logic of power and the build-up of force.” Instead, “I hope that the newly elected president will cultivate true peace so that the Korean Peninsula can move beyond the armistice to peace and from division to reunification.”

Lastly, the bishops’ fourth requirement is to elect a “president who preserves the common home of the earth” at a time when “The climate crisis is becoming increasingly uncontrollable,”

Such a tragedy is “caused by human greed and selfishness,” writes the bishop of Jeonju. Nevertheless, “I hope that the newly elected president will formulate and implement policies to overcome the climate crisis and strive to protect the ecology and the environment.”