Seoul: The Catholic Church in South Korea has revived its nationwide Pro-Life Movement, stepping into the heart of the country’s fierce debates on abortion and growing calls for euthanasia. The initiative, led by the Korean Bishops’ Conference, aims to defend what it calls the “inalienable dignity of human life” while challenging pending legislation that could expand access to abortion and normalize assisted dying.
Bishop Moon Chang-woo of Jeju, president of the Committee for Family and Life, unveiled the relaunch as a bold campaign to “reawaken society’s mission to safeguard life from its beginning to its natural end.” Speaking through the Vatican’s Fides agency, Bishop Moon described the project as a “prophetic cry” intended to restore the protection of life to the center of both public dialogue and political decision-making.
At the heart of the campaign are programs like the “Project for Unborn Life,” which supports expectant mothers in crisis, and “Life 31,” which promotes a culture of life through advocacy and cultural outreach. Coordinated at the national level, these efforts are set to bind local and diocesan projects into a stronger united voice.
The relaunch comes at a critical moment. On August 26, Bishop Moon and representatives of Catholic institutions including the Bishops’ Bioethics Committee and the Catholic Bioethics Research Institute met members of the National Assembly’s Health Committee. Lawmakers are considering amendments to the Maternal and Child Health Act, a bill sponsored by 11 Democratic Party legislators. Critics warn the changes would legalize abortion even when the fetus is viable outside the womb, removing key restrictions and opening the door to what Church leaders call “unrestricted abortion.”
Father Leo Oh Seok-jun, Secretary General of the Pro-Life Committee of Seoul Archdiocese, urged more public education on the ethical stakes. “We are against abortion, regardless of gestational age,” he said, stressing that society must not lose sight of the fundamental truth: the dignity of every human life.
The debate is not limited to the unborn. On August 28, Bishop Ku Yoo-bi, Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul and president of the Bishops’ Bioethics Committee, addressed growing calls for euthanasia and assisted suicide at a National Assembly forum. He warned that a utilitarian view of life—where patients who cannot contribute economically are seen as “burdens” undermines compassion and drives vulnerable people to premature death.
“When society exalts efficiency and productivity above all else, care for the sick is seen as wasteful,” Bishop Ku cautioned. “But our humanity is measured precisely in how we treat the weak.” He rejected framing euthanasia as an act of mercy, calling it a distortion of genuine care. For him, the right to self-determination can never override the right to life, since death itself cannot be considered a human right.
With these renewed initiatives, the Korean Church is seeking to reshape the national conscience, positioning itself as a defender of life amid divisive social and political debates. For bishops and Catholic leaders, the Pro-Life Movement is not merely a campaign but a moral mission one they believe will determine the nation’s ethical foundations in the years to come.