(Unofficial Translation)

Having rung in a new year, we have invited our religious leaders to Cheong Wa Dae. I wish you all a Happy New Year.

We are joined by President Wonhaeng of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, President Ryu Yeong-mo of the United Christian Churches of Korea, General Secretary Lee Hong-jung of the National Council of Churches in Korea, President Matthias Ri Iong-hoon of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Director-General Na Sang-ho of the Administration of Won-Buddhism, Director Son Jin-woo of Sungkyunkwan, Supreme Leader Song Beom-doo of Cheondogyo, President Lee Beom-chang of the Association of Korean Native Religions, Vice Chair Mundeok of the Association of Korean Buddhist Orders, and Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of the Seoul Archdiocese. I feel blessed as I meet you all at the start of a new year.

The Venerable Wonhaeng has been re-elected as President of the Korean Council of Religious Leaders. Congratulations on again assuming an immense role in leading efforts to promote interreligious harmony and exchanges.

We have brought together the leaders of seven major religious orders for the first time in a long while. Let me start by saying I am grateful to everyone for having long shared in the suffering and having worked hard together to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Each religious order has actively complied with the Government’s anti-epidemic measures and refrained from holding Buddhist services, church services, Mass and other religious activities. Even such paramount religious events as the celebration for Buddha’s Birthday and Seoul’s Lotus Lantern Festival have been postponed or canceled for the sake of epidemic prevention and control. Having led by example and cooperated in this manner, religious facilities have seen a significant drop in infections during the fourth wave of COVID-19 outbreaks. 

Even though the fourth wave is being gradually brought under control, still lying ahead is a huge critical juncture to surmount for the sake of conquering COVID-19. That is the possibility of a full-blown outbreak of the Omicron variant during and after the Lunar New Year holiday. Cases in Japan and other countries show that even though the percentage of severely or critically ill patients infected with the Omicron variant is low, once it becomes the dominant strain, caseloads tend to increase explosively within a short period of time.

Currently, the Government and the religious community are continuing to hold a working-level council on COVID-19 responses. Still, I’d like to ask the religious community to join forces once again to successfully overcome the Omicron crisis. The disease control authorities and medical professionals are doing their best, but I believe the most important thing now is for those eligible for a booster shot to finish their inoculation quickly. During the recent fourth wave of infection, the rate of those 60 and above getting booster shots has increased, making it possible to significantly lower the number of severely or critically ill patients and fatalities. Therefore, the rate of booster shots among those 50 and under is now seen as key to determining how serious the Omicron-induced damage will be.

I believe the religious community plays an enormous role in resolving distrust or anxiety about vaccination. I’d like to ask all leaders to come together to help expand vaccination.

I am deeply grateful to our religious community for taking the lead in the movement to practice climate responses and carbon neutrality as well as building a consensus among the people. In fact, religions have long taught us that all human beings and nature form a single, interconnected community of life. Oblivious of this fact, however, the world has only focused on economic growth, destroying the environment of the earth. As a consequence, we are now facing a serious climate crisis.

The carbon neutrality goal can be achieved only when the Government’s policy efforts as well as the endeavors of the people and businesses are united as one. What matters the most will be the people’s empathy and participation. I’d like to see our religious leaders bring the minds of the people together and spearhead the movement to practice carbon neutrality in everyday life while encouraging our people to participate. The Government will also do our best to see to it that our promises to the international community are kept.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have come to truly sense that Korea’s international status has risen rather considerably. Now, Korea is officially recognized as an advanced country that is nearly on par with the G7 countries by any measure, not just in terms of economic power but also the level of democracy, epidemic prevention and control, health, culture, military power, diplomacy and international cooperation. I believe that religion has played a very important role in getting us this far. Religion has been crucial for modernizing and democratizing the country, promoting reconciliation between South and North Korea and expanding the people’s welfare while preserving our traditional culture. I express my profound respect and gratitude in that regard.

If I could get anything more as President, it would be our country’s last remaining task for democratization – to find a cure for the excessive hostility and division among the people and move forward toward a unified and harmonious democracy. Of course, that is something that politics should have managed to do, but it is true that we, myself included, failed to fulfill that role. Rather, I’m worried that the situation tends to regress as we near election season. I ask all religious leaders to guide us well for the sake of a unified society and democracy.

I ask every religious leader to play a major role in bringing us together at the heart of the solidarity and cooperation that enables us to support one another and rise above crises, so we can move toward a Republic of Korea that warmly embraces democracy, human rights and peace. 

Today, I would like to hear many wise suggestions about how to help the people as well as any other issues that you have been thinking about. Once again, I express my gratitude to you for taking your precious time to attend this meeting on such a cold day. 

Thank you.