"Live Each as if the Last"

A science teacher in the Catholic Peace Weekly gives readers some thoughts during this month, when we think of and pray for the dead, having just celebrated All Souls Day.

On February 22, 2023, the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) observed a comet that appeared. It was first discovered on January 9 at the Zijinshan Observatory in China and was named ‘C/2023 A3 Zijinshan-Atlas’. It approached Earth at 70 km per second and will be observed in the western sky after sunset from October 12 to the end of this year. 

A comet is a celestial body with a core of ice and rock and a tail of gas and dust. It is formed in the Oort cloud outside the solar system. The comet has an orbital period of 86,600 years, so Paleolithic people were probably the first to see it in the night sky.

ATLAS is an early warning system developed by NASA to notify people of expected major damage from celestial bodies from space and to prepare for evacuation in advance. The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute also operates a system to track and monitor these dangerous celestial bodies.  Comets, asteroids, and meteorites can cause large-scale damage to life on Earth, and about 2,200 of them currently have this potential.

There is a strong theory that the extinction of the dinosaurs, that ruled the Earth 65 million years ago, was due to a meteorite impact with a diameter of about 10 km, which had a power more than 1 million times that of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. During geological history, there have been five mass extinctions on Earth. When Halley's Comet, which had a tail full of poisonous gas, approached the Earth in 1910, some Europeans committed suicide out of fear, while others squandered all their fortunes. Fortunately, there is no possibility of a comet passing by the Earth this time and colliding with the Earth.

Let's think about the rise and fall of all life forms and civilizations that lived on Earth during the 80,000 years that the comet passed from the solar system's edge. Compared to that long time, how fleeting is the human life span of less than 100 years? In that short time, material desires, pleasures, and success are nothing but vanity compared to the sublime and eternal values.

All living beings are given only a finite amount of time in space and time of the universe. We all live a limited life, and we know this well. We just don’t know the last day of our lives. That’s why the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, a Stoic philosopher, wrote in his autobiographical record of reflection, Meditations— “Live each day as if it were your last. Don’t be anxious. Don’t become numb. This is the perfection of character.”

If my life were to end tomorrow suddenly due to a celestial body that threatens the Earth or an unexpected accident like a traffic accident, how should I live today? Perhaps I would regret not smiling a little brighter today or not giving a little more of myself for the betterment of the world. We must live today so we will not have any regrets even if we die tomorrow. Because we all will die someday. So we must live well right now. “So stay awake, for you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matthew 25:13)

Harm Done by Deepfake Technology

The Catholic Times' View from the Ark column explains deepfake photography, which involves applying modern technology to images without the consent of the people portrayed. A university professor shares her thoughts on this very serious issue.

This year's deepfake sexual violence incident in a prestigious university group chat room was shocking. Deepfake is a video created by synthesizing faces and body parts using AI technology and producing sexual violence victims. According to a report by the National Police Agency, 474 cases of deepfake sexual exploitation material production and distribution were arrested in 2024, and more than 80% of the perpetrators were teenagers, including elementary school students.

Teenagers are not sexually ignorant, and they are not free from sexual violence. As digital natives, it is not difficult for them to access or produce sexually exploitative material. The perpetrator who produced and sold sexually exploitative material of female celebrities is a teenager, and the group chat room operator is said to have produced sexually exploitative material since high school. He receives an invitation from a friend, shares deepfake sexually exploitative material and produces sexually exploitative material through a production program.

Deepfake sexual violence shows the gendered phenomenon of male perpetrators/female victims. This is why we need to raise awareness of sexuality among children and adolescents and provide online and offline sexual violence prevention education and counseling. However, the backlash against feminism has led to the interpretation that even the issue of deepfake sexual violence is of little interest. 

There are also objections that the punishment hinders the development of AI technology or that men cannot give up their sexual pleasure. It is difficult to accept these counterarguments because they are related to the insensitivity to violence and lack of empathy, which prioritizes one’s own desires over others’ pain.

Perpetrators produce and distribute deepfake sexually exploitative material, understanding that they will not be punished. This process dilutes their sense of guilt, builds confidence, and strengthens the bond between perpetrators.

Since digital sexual violence is an exploitation of images, the persons mistakenly believe that they are not a problem because they do not commit physical sexual violence. However, victims have difficulty living their daily lives with their faces exposed and are suffering. Photos on social media are being deleted, and graduation albums are in danger of disappearing.

The 17th Women's Human Rights Film Festival held by the Korea Women's Hotline in September 2024 screened a documentary on deepfake sexual violence. In the film <My Blonde Girlfriend>, the victim posted a photo of herself in a dress from a few years ago on social media. They were victims of deepfake sexual violence because the photo was stolen. Also, in another incident, the main character goes to a restaurant with a friend, and her laptop is stolen. The perpetrators threatened to distribute the photos stored on the laptop as deepfake sexual exploitation material. In both films, the victims say: "That photo is not me," in a situation where the perpetrator has not been arrested, it is a courageous act for a victim to reveal their face. Still, it is heartbreaking because it is an inevitable choice.

Overseas media outlets report that Korea is a country that produces a lot of deepfake sexual exploitation material and that there are many female victims. Despite this stigma, it is not easy to arrest and punish the perpetrator because evidence disappears when the operator discontinues the chat room. Telegram, which had refused to cooperate with the police investigation to protect the privacy of its members, has agreed to delete illegal information using deepfake.

In October of this year, the government passed a bill that punishes the possession and viewing of deepfake sexual exploitation material, strengthened the prison sentence for deepfake sexual violence from 5 years to 7 years, and increased the prison sentence for blackmail using deepfake sexual exploitation material to 1 year or more. The Ministry of Education recognizes the seriousness of deepfake sexual violence and is planning violence prevention education after an on-site investigation.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is interpreted as the main department for sexual violence. Still, the organization is operating at a reduced scale, and there is a lack of manpower and support. A more integrated measure is needed at the institutional level, and a change in awareness of deepfake sexual violence is required throughout society through education and campaigns.

Strenght from Weakness

The Catholic Peace Newspaper's 'Preciousness of Faith' column by a priest university professor gives readers another look at the Korean author who won the  Nobel Prize in Literature and her approach to facing the problems that arise in our lives. 

Author Han Kang, recently selected as the Nobel Prize in Literature winner, is receiving worldwide attention. The Swedish Academy introduced the author as “a powerful poetic prose that confronts historical trauma and exposes the fragility of human life.” Rather than dwelling on the violence and resulting wounds that we experience in our daily lives and the fragility of humans who cannot help but be hurt, she went beyond them. She found true humanity, which was recognized as a universal value.

In fact, the subject that author Han addressed is something we all experience daily, and it is also an important subject dealt with in faith. Although we usually do not realize it, the prayers in the latter half of the Lord’s Prayer are filled with content about human fragility. Humans are frail beings who cannot survive without daily bread, who sin and hurt each other, and who cannot help but fall into temptation and evil. The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer that asks God the Father to feed us, forgive us, and protect us from temptation and evil.

The columnist read a poem by author Han called “It’s Okay” and deeply sympathized with it. One day, when her newborn baby cried every night and didn’t know what to do, she suddenly said to herself: “It’s okay." Since then, the baby has stopped crying, and she learned the wisdom of comforting herself by saying, “It’s okay,” instead of “What’s wrong?” when she’s having a hard time.

In this way, the author conveys a positive view of human fragility, comforts those hurt by fragility, and seeks humanity's embrace and support of fragility.

Fragility permeates all dimensions of humanity. Faith, hope, and love are indispensable virtues in human life that make humans human, but they are also filled with human fragility. Because they permeate human fragility, our faith is unstable, our love leaves many wounds and tears, and our hope wavers in trials and crises.

However, if we realize that weakness is common to all and that we can only move forward through weakness that embraces and supports each other’s weaknesses, then we have lived well enough and can tell ourselves: “It’s okay.” When we do, we will be able to discover that faith, hope, and love are sprouting anew within us.

The Apostle Paul said that he would boast about his weaknesses if he wanted to boast (cf. 2 Cor 12:5-10). Because he experienced that God’s power is fully revealed in weakness. God gives grace to everyone, but he exerts greater power on those who know how to recognize and accept themselves as weak. As one writer said, we can say: “It’s okay,” and embrace our weaknesses, but believers go one step further. If we can meet the gaze of the Lord who knows our weakness and looks at us with compassionate eyes, and if we can hear His voice saying: “It’s okay,” we will realize that this is enough, and we will be able to approach others in that way. 

The God we believe in is a God of compassion, and he raises us up again and enables us to live. It’s okay! Some things cannot be done, fixed, or undone in life.  But let’s not be disappointed. The Lord says it’s okay. If we can admit our weaknesses, then we can start again.

“Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin again.” (John 8:11)

Bible In One Hand and YouTube in the Other—

The Catholic Peace Weekly gives readers some interesting thoughts on the YouTube media from the Clerics Column. 

South Korea is a YouTube republic. It is said that Koreans spent over a  billion hours on YouTube in August. When divided by the population, each person watched YouTube for 73 minutes daily. This is much more than KakaoTalk or Naver, which are called national messengers. Now, people watch the news on YouTube. The global craze of K-pop and K-dramas was possible because of YouTube. People also listen to music and radio on YouTube.

YouTube, in particular, has a great influence on the younger generation. In an era where smartphones are everywhere, YouTube is a playground for children. Children make ‘short-form’ videos of about 30 seconds and upload them to YouTube or SNS to share with their friends. ‘Creators’ like YouTubers are the jobs that elementary school students dream of.

Religious life is also on YouTube. People listen to priests’ sermons on YouTube. They watch and listen to Pope Francis’ sermons from their living rooms. They shed tears while listening to hymns sung by various singers. If you have questions about doctrine or Bible knowledge, search YouTube to study. Father Hwang Chang-yeon's YouTube channel has 450,000 subscribers, and Buddhist Monk Beopryun has 1.47 million subscribers.

Pilgrimages are also done on YouTube. I am open to the Holy Land of Jesus in Israel. You can visit Our Lady of Lourdes in France 24 hours a day through YouTube. You can study the Holy Land, which you will see on YouTube before going on a pilgrimage. YouTube is full of videos of famous overseas holy sites.

So, how do Catholics use YouTube? There is no survey on Catholicism or Buddhism, but here is what we can estimate based on a study of Protestants. (Korean Church Trend 2025 Survey), 60.7% of Protestants answered that they use YouTube for more than an hour daily. And 64.8% of Protestants who use YouTube answered that they use religious content. 39.7% of Buddhists and 31.4% of Catholics said they use religious content. Interestingly, the main viewers of religious content on YouTube are the elderly over 60. The age group of YouTube viewers confirms the aging phenomenon of religion.

The Pastoral Data Research Institute conducted the survey and named the phenomenon of accessing the gospel through YouTube ‘You-evangelism’. In the mid-20th century in the United States, there was a term called ‘Televangelism,’ a derivative word combining television and evangelism, referring to activities of spreading the gospel through television. Now that YouTube is in the world, a new era called ‘You-evangelism’ has begun. In the past, with the establishment of religious broadcasting stations, evangelism through TV was considered a new innovation. Still, in the era of ‘You-evangelism', TV is the domain of the elderly over 60 and is no longer an innovation in evangelization. The innovation in missionary work lies in YouTube on smartphones.

In the media ecosystem that changes at the speed of light, CPBC’s concerns are also deepening as it approaches All Saints’ Day. There is a famous saying, “The Bible in one hand, the newspaper in the other.” However, I wonder if we should now say: “The Bible on one hand, YouTube on the other.” Now, the connection between the church and the world is not made by traditional media like newspapers but by new media like YouTube.

However, no matter how much of a YouTube world it is, the ‘gospel’ of Jesus Christ does not change. CPBC’s goal of spreading the gospel to the world does not change. Rather, a new chapter has opened where the gospel can be spread to anyone, anywhere, anytime through new media like YouTube. Catholic Peace Broadcasting Corporation (CPBC) will be at the forefront of this new era. 

Meaning of Literacy in the Digital Age

An author with a doctorate in sociology and a Member of the Future Society writes in Here/Now  Catholic Website on the Meaning of Literacy in the Digital Age.

Due to the influence of smartphones, images and videos have become more widespread than text. The literacy debate, an ongoing issue, has recently been amplified around Hangul Day (Celebrating the birth of Korean Script). The main point is the grumbling of the older generation that the younger generation has difficulty communicating due to their lack of vocabulary. 

Many students do not know basic Chinese characters even after studying for four years in college, so they cannot write documents or understand them. 

There is a clear difference in position on the literacy debate by generation. The 2030 generation does not understand the older generation's concerns or believe a problem exists. For them, communication between generations is no problem, and even if there is a word they do not understand, they can find it right away by searching the Internet or asking on social media, so there is no need to mention literacy.

On the other hand, the older generation’s position is rather strong. They criticize the 2030 generation’s lack of literacy by citing various reasons: they cannot understand even the most basic meaning of words because they do not read enough, their increased exposure to the Internet makes reading difficult, their school education focuses on memorization, and their exclusive use of Hangul.

The 2030 generation is naturally far ahead of the older generation regarding digital literacy. The 2030 generation can be called digital natives, having grown up in an internet environment since birth and in a mobile environment during adolescence. The 2030 generation uses the internet for virtually all aspects of their daily lives, including information acquisition, communication, entertainment, finance, dating, and convenience. For those who spend a considerable amount of money on purchasing new digital devices, digital literacy is almost perfect. You can communicate and do everything as long as you have a cell phone. In addition, as generative artificial intelligence, represented by ChatGP, recently began mobile services, the digital literacy of the 2030 generation is improving even more.

On the other hand, the digital literacy of the older generation is improving compared to the past, but it is still low compared to the 2030 generation. 

Let’s ask a question here. Is the controversy over literacy something that happened after the development of the Internet and didn’t happen before? If we look at the records, this isn’t the first time there has been a controversy over literacy. 

When Hangul began to be used in the late Joseon Dynasty, people lamented the younger generation’s inability to use Chinese characters properly. These cases were reported in the media whenever Hangul's use expanded or the proportion of Chinese characters in textbooks was reduced, and they were used to point out the younger generation’s lack of literacy. 

In newspaper articles from the 1960s and 1970s, frequent articles were saying that young people at the time were using Chinese characters incorrectly because they lacked Chinese character skills. Despite these concerns from the older generation, the use of Chinese characters continued to decrease, and most of the current generation has become accustomed to this environment. The current older generation was the younger generation before that. Therefore, it is inevitable that their Chinese character skills are much lower than those of the previous generation, and it can be said that they were naturally criticized by the older generation. This generation is now pointing out the literacy of the 2030 generation. Specifically, they are not talking about literacy but rather about vocabulary. However, it is inappropriate to point out that you lack vocabulary or have literacy problems because you cannot immediately understand the meaning of a few words.

Being obsessed with language, especially letters, or giving excessive meaning to them does not help maintain smooth communication. If you are obsessed with literalism, you lose understanding of the context and repeat opinionated claims. The Bible is also continuously being translated into easy modern language. There is no need to maintain an old version of the Bible that the younger generation cannot read. Not immediately understanding a few Chinese words in the Bible is not a problem. What is important is to find or develop a means of communication that the other person or other generations can understand and communicate.

Meaning of Presence

In the Preciousness of Faith Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the priest meditates on 'Presence' and its healing power.

The word ‘presence’ is not used often, but it is an experience we have every day. Being with someone in the same space is very important and valuable. If your heart is somewhere else, it is not a true presence even when you are near. If your heart is always turned toward someone even when you are far away, that is also presence.

I once confessed to believers after returning from a long period of study abroad: “I have been away from my home country, but I have never forgotten you, Korean believers, even for a moment.”

We know this even without saying it in words. People live in presence. Babies cry to ask for something from their mothers, but isn’t it actually a sign that they are thirsting for their mothers’ presence?

When someone gets seriously ill, they often become discouraged and lose their will to live. When treatment is not effective, and they feel close to death, they fall into a deep depression. Isn’t it someone else's presence allowing them to endure difficult times? The fact that someone is by my side and that someone remembers me gives me strength and hope and makes today meaningful.

In the recently aired documentary,  Dr. Bae Hyeon-jeong from Belgium said about hospice: “It’s a place to end one’s life, but it’s not a place to come to die, but a place to live well together until that moment.” Hospice ministry is about helping to preserve human dignity until the last moment.

I also spent my last moments with my mother in a hospice ward. It’s not easy to decide to go to a hospice ward because it’s usually thought of as a place to die, but I remember that my mother and her family spent the most beautiful moments of their lives there together. Presence means being together until death. Presence has the power to connect with each other beyond death. Presence that willingly gives up one’s life saves each other and allows us to dream of hope.

I think about Jesus's presence. He was with the poorest and most marginalized, suffering and wounded. His presence spoke tender words, a touch, and a look. Jesus was with the most abandoned on the cross, praying for them. So where was the Father at that moment? Wasn’t he with his Son in quiet silence?

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), no one was by his side when the younger son wasted all he had and was tending pigs. What he desperately wanted was someone’s presence. When he came to his senses, he returned to his father. The father saw his son from a distance and ran to him. The father never left his son for a moment. He was always present with his son. That loving presence brought the son back and saved him.

Just as the father never left his younger son for a moment, God never left us for a moment. God’s name is presence because He is always present in us. He is with us more deeply, especially when we suffer from illness and are troubled by death. Because Jesus experienced it all, He can stay with us more deeply, comforting and encouraging us.

Am I conscious of the Lord’s presence? Am I sharing my existence and staying with someone? I believe that these questions will add depth to our lives.

First Korean Nobel Prize for Literature

The third Nobel Literature Prize awarded to an Asian was to author Han Kang, who was the first Korean to receive the prize. The Catholic Times published the story in its 'Eyes of the Priest' column.

When Han Kang’s Nobel Prize was announced, her books sold like hotcakes. Online bookstores were so crowded with people trying to buy her books that it was difficult to even access them. People flocked to a small bookstore run by Han as if they were making a pilgrimage. This is how much interest in reading has increased since Han won the Nobel Prize.

In fact, the amount of reading by Koreans is embarrassing. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, only 43% of adults read at least one book last year, excluding exam preparation books or magazines, which is the lowest ever.

This number has been cut in half in 30 years compared to 1994 when the survey was first conducted. In other words, 6 out of 10 adults in our country do not read a single book in a year.

As people stop reading books, their ability to understand the meaning of text is declining. These days, adults criticize students who do not read books and only watch YouTube videos or short-form videos, but adults do not seem to be much different from those who do not read books.

Reading is an important part of religious life. All religions consider reading and meditating on their scriptures important. Catholics also call it ‘lectio divina’, sacred reading. Many people still copy passages of the Bible. Religious set aside time to read the Bible or books of saints in their daily routines to cultivate virtue. Not long ago, parishioners gave books as gifts when there was a baptism or confirmation at their parish. 

It is also good to read books written by Catholic writers who are devout in their faith. Good books are food for the soul.

The columnist congratulates the author on winning the Nobel Prize in Literature and says we all grow in wisdom through reading.

The Nobel Prize winner is a person who 'walks the talk'. She has declined to celebrate her Nobel Prize, seeing it as inappropriate while wars continue causing significant suffering and loss of life; she believes that in light of these global tragedies, to celebrate her personal good fortune would be insensitive and out of touch with our world reality.