Stephen Cardinal Kim(金壽煥, 1922~2009) was born and raised under the rule of Japanese Imperialists within the catholic church traditions that emphasized a life of faith outside of the secular world from 19th century. Though relatively liberally grown in a faithful household, he began questioning his social identity as a young colonist Korea after entering The Minor Seminary of Dong Sung Commercial High School. During studying at Sophia University in Japan, he felt Japanese discrimination and racism firsthand and even further become a young man deeply distressed himself about national identity. He also fully and personally perceived such issues during his time as a student soldier that was pressed by Japanese Government. Yet, with liberation from Imperial Japan in 1945 and the subsequent Korean war from 1950 to 1953, his focal interest shifted from his own nation to universal human-being as God’s people. Naturally, after studying at University of Munster in Germany and undergoing the 2nd Vatican council, he gradually began to solidify into social participation of Catholic Church.
Father Kim Soohwan returned to Korea at the spring of 1964 and successively served as manager of the Catholic Times And then he started for his new post as the diocesan bishop of Masan located in the southeast area of Korea in 1966, Just 2 years later archbishop of Seoul. Ultimately, he was elevated the rank of Cardinal in 1969. During the era in which the Cardinal work actively as the catholic leader, it was just began to coincide with unprecedented rapid economic growth as well as the powerful burst of democracy in Korea.
As this period of change continued, he emphasized within the church the equality of the laity and the clergy within God’s sovereignty, while also repenting the church’s indifference to worldly affairs and positing by his own actions the importance of volunteering for God in the middle of the world as expressed by the 2nd Vatican Council. He showed this belief by leading as example. By the Cardinal’s efforts the Catholic Church took on the role as intermediary between various conflicts present in Korean society. In this aspect, he was faithfully committed time and time again to his role as helper of the disadvantaged as Christ taught, furthermore he was a leader who showed through his prophetic messages the ways in which Korean society must progress.
As his pastoral motto “Pro Vobis et Pro Multis” displays, he devoted his lifetime and energy not only to the Korean Catholic Church but also the entirety of Korean society. Consequently, Christian thought, which had long combatted Confucian values since the 18th century, became accepted as the one of major source of modern Korean values. The 200 years long conflict between Christianity and Confucianism culminated in a harmonic creation of new values for a new Korean society. As a result of this Korean society developed as a democratic society firmly grounded upon Christian values, and Cardinal Kim served a notably conducive role in this progression.