In private meeting, South Korea's leader reportedly suggests papal visit to North Korea

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung reportedly suggested that Pope Leo XIV visit North Korea, citing the need for peace on the Korean Peninsula. During his state visit to the Vatican on Monday (local time), Lee held a private, 30-minute meeting with the pope at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.

Blue House national security adviser Wi Sung-lac briefed the press after the tête-à-tête.

“Lee informed His Holiness of the South Korean people’s fervent desire for peace on the Korean Peninsula, as well as giving an overview of the government’s initiatives to facilitate peace,” Wi said, adding that the Vatican had reaffirmed its “unwavering support and interest in the goal of peace and reconciliation on the peninsula.” “Lee and His Holiness have decided to cooperate closely for the sake of the successful hosting of World Youth Day in 2027. The president officially invited His Holiness to visit South Korea on that occasion,” Wi continued. World Youth Day is the world’s largest global Catholic youth festival, and it will be held in Seoul in 2027.

A senior Blue House official called the message that the Vatican and the pope sent reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula “very meaningful.”

“If the pope were to visit South Korea and expound on that message during the World Youth Day, that would certainly help our initiatives for peace,” the official said. During their private meeting, Lee is said to have requested that the pope visit North Korea when an appropriate occasion arises. The suggestion appears to have been that the visit could coincide with the pope's trip to South Korea for World Youth Day. “It is said that the pope is not a conversationalist who treats discussions like a back-and-forth but usually sits back to listen. We are unaware of how he reacted to this suggestion. If he is to visit Pyongyang, he will need an invitation from North Korea, and the process of arranging a visit is very complicated,” a senior Blue House official said. During a speech one day earlier at a special mass for peace and reconciliation in Korea at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Lee commemorated the anniversary of the signing of the first inter-Korean agreement 26 years earlier and stressed that he “firmly believe[s] that those sparks of hope are still alive even now.” This isn’t the first time that Lee has mentioned the possibility of a visit to North Korea by the pope. Last July, Lee mentioned the Catholic youth festival when meeting Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik.

“I started to wonder if it would be possible for the pope to stop by North Korea during his visit, to support peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he said at the time. At a press conference at the Vatican on Sunday, You noted that Pyongyang would have to formally invite the pope and “set the conditions” for a visit.

“Since the pope is American, he could play a bigger role in North Korea-US relations than in the past,” the cardinal said.

Following his meeting with the pontiff, Lee also held a meeting with the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, where the possibility of a papal visit to Pyongyang came up once more. “The idea of a papal visit to North Korea was raised when mentioning the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue and the reconciliation of the two Koreas. However, this is a rather complex issue. It is difficult, as a foreigner, to declare that one wishes to visit North Korea and expect the visit to happen,” a senior Blue House official said. This senior official relayed that, during the meeting, Lee noted the severed state of inter-Korean relations, and the challenges that poses while outlining the numerous ways that Seoul was working to ease tensions and build trust.

“We will have to take our time and be patient, but we will not give up. The doors will open if we knock hard enough,” Lee reportedly said.

Parolin reportedly responded that patience is vital, but that hope was also essential. As gifts, Lee presented the pope with a sculpture titled “God’s Embrace” and a traditional Korean white porcelain box.

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