South Korea Cardinal Who Fought For Democracy Dies

Kim became a cardinal in 1968 and grew the Catholic Church in South Korea by appealing to students, workers and the educated.

 South Korean Roman Catholic Cardinal Stephen Kim, who used his pulpit as a platform to help bring down the country's authoritarian leaders and instil democracy, died on Monday at the age of 86, a church official said.

The cardinal, also known as Kim Sou-hwan, was a staunch advocate of human rights and one of the key figures in bringing democracy to a country where military strongmen ruled for decades.

Kim became a cardinal in 1968 and grew the Catholic Church in South Korea by appealing to students, workers and the educated.

"He expressed his deep interest and grave concern for the repressed and the underprivileged and did not hesitate to speak out on the oppressive political situation," according to his biography on his personal website.

Kim became an international figure in 1986 and 1987 when tens of thousands of South Koreans took to the streets in rallies calling for the end of military rule and the start of free elections.

His red brick cathedral in central Seoul became a rallying point for protests. Kim, who gave refuge to protesters sought by the police, called on then President Chun Doo Hwan to allow for the country's first open presidential elections.

"He awakened the values of human rights and social justice in the South Korean society, guiding the nation towards democratisation," said Ro Kil-myung, an expert on religion and a sociology professor at Korea University.

For many in South Korea, Kim was the moral conscience of the struggle.

"He was not politically motivated in spearheading democracy movement; his actions were rather based on the spirit of Catholicism," Ro said.

Kim delivered stinging sermons from his pulpit calling for democracy while then opposition leaders Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam, who would both later become president, sat in front rows.

After the democracy struggles that resulted in South Korea's first open presidential election in 1987, Kim fought for better human rights protections for migrant foreign workers and for Japan to take greater responsibility for the damage it caused by its 1910-1945 colonial rule over Korea.

The number of Catholics in South Korea increased more than sixfold whilst Kim was cardinal, reaching 5.1 million in 2005 among a population of about 49 million, according to government figures.

Kim, the youngest of seven siblings, was born into a poor family in the southeast city of Daegu in 1922. His grandfather died in prison after being persecuted for being a Roman Catholic.

Kim later studied at Sophia University in Tokyo and Munster University in Germany.