Cardinal Kim stood firmly on the side of those who suffered at the margins of society, including workers, farmers, the urban poor, evictees, persons with disabilities, and migrant laborers. He did not remain silent in the face of labor and agrarian injustice, including the oppression of laborers at Shimdo Textile on Ganghwa Island, the repression of women workers at Dongil Textile, and the police abduction and assault of farmer Oh Won-chun. At Myeongdong Cathedral he led prayer services and personally visited the sites of struggle, publicly condemning state violence and injustice.
For evictees who lost their homes due to urban redevelopment, he offered Mass and helped secure shelter. At the scenes of major disasters, he prayed in tears alongside bereaved families. By visiting places such as Nanjido, then a vast landfill; the Magdalene House, a shelter for women involved in prostitution; refugee camps; mines; and facilities for persons with disabilities, he sought not merely to witness suffering but to share in it. Even so, he humbled himself, saying, “I am ashamed that I cannot live alongside them.”
His concern extended beyond borders and ideologies to the people of North Korea. As Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Pyongyang, he emphasized reconciliation and peace, continually praying for and seeking opportunities for exchange with the North Korean Church and its people. He also opened paths toward interreligious reconciliation and common action through dialogue and solidarity with leaders of other faiths.
