A distinguished chemist and a former military officer have been named winners of this year’s Catholic Grand Awards by the Catholic Lay Apostolate Council of Korea. Gregorio Kim Wang-ki who has contributed to the development of chemistry and, Joseph Kim Ki-ho, former military officer who has devoted himself to campaigning for the eradication of land mines, were named as top prize winners yesterday by the lay group. The council was founded in 1968 to “carry on the lay apostolate harmoniously.” In 1983 it established the awards in three fields (Love, Culture, and Justice) and has been rewarding those who have made significant contributions to society since then. “God has commended me for my life’s work,” said Gregorio Kim, honorary professor of chemistry in Chonnam National University, said after hearing of his award in the field of culture. The 75-year-old former member of the Korean bishops’ Committee for the Lay Apostolate has written 53 papers on chemistry and several books on faith and science. The ‘Justice’ award winner, Joseph Kim, is the director of the Korea Mine Clearing Research Institute, and is looking to encourage the Church to press for the removal of land mines in the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ), which has divided the Korean peninsula since the end of the Korean War in 1953. “Currently, there are about 3.5 million mines in this country, mostly in the DMZ,” said Joseph Kim. According to Father Hugo Park Jung-woo, secretary of the Korean bishops’ justice and peace committee, the local Church has not yet spoken out on this issue. The award ceremony will be held on December 15. Each winner will receive 3 million won (US$2,600). There was no winner in this year’s ‘Love’ category. Related reports Korea unveils winners of top Catholic awards