Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Catholic culture fair begins countdown to World Youth Day 2027
A nun assists visitors to make their own crosses with blocks at a booth for the 2026 Vocational Fair held in Seoul, Saturday. Newsis
By Lee Hae-rin
Interactive booths, conversations with religious leaders and cultural programs invite visitors of all backgrounds to explore Catholic life
A popular stone wall path near Deoksu Palace in Seoul usually known for its quiet strolls and autumn foliage was filled with mini-game stations, rosary-making tables and conversations about faith over the weekend as Seoul began its one-year countdown to World Youth Day (WYD) 2.
The 2026 Vocational Fair, held Saturday and Sunday, brought Catholic religious orders, apostolic groups and young visitors together along the road near Deoksu Palace and Seoul City Hall’s Seosomun Annex.
Organized by the local organizing committee for WYD Seoul 2027 and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the free event was designed as a small-scale preview of next year’s global festival.
WYD, a global gathering of young Catholics, will take place in Seoul from Aug. 3-8, 2027. Its program will include a youth festival and vocational fair, alongside major liturgies and events involving Pope Leo.
WYD Seoul will be the second such gathering in Asia, following the event in Manila, Philippines in 1995. Organizers expect more than 1 million participants for what is set to become one of the largest international Catholic events ever hosted in Korea.
The 2026 Vocational Fair, a Catholic culture event organized as a prequel to the 2027 World Youth Day scheduled in August next year, is crowded with visitors in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap
Under the theme “Moments That Bring Us Together,” the fair focused on cultural exchange and conversation rather than formal religious instructions and evangelist mission. Some 48 religious orders, nine devotional and apostolic organizations and youth communities participated through interactive booths.
Visitors collected layered stamps based on the themes of truth, love and peace while moving through the fairgrounds. The cultural-experience zone offered free activities including rosary bracelet-making, calligraphy, nano-block cross building and tattoo stickers featuring Catholic imagery.
For many visitors, the Vocation Cafe was among the most distinctive programs. Small tables allowed participants to speak informally with priests and nuns about career, life choices, relationships and faith.
In the Catholic context, a vocation refers not only to religious life but also to an individual’s calling and way of living. The program will expand during the 2027 event, when pilgrims will be invited to explore different religious communities.
At the Vocation Cafe, visitors speak with nuns as part of a private counseling and talk session with priests and nuns during the 2026 Vocational Fair in Seoul, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin
One of the busiest booths focused on Korea’s Catholic martyrs, whose history is closely intertwined with the brutal persecution of the faith during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
Run by the Sisters of the Blessed Korean Martyrs and related congregations, the booth invited visitors to learn about the ordeals endured by early Korean Catholics through a role-playing activity.
Participants read a script based on the last words attributed to St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821-1846), Korea’s first native-born Catholic priest, before taking part in a symbolic reenactment of punishments used during the period.
“I thought it was fun, but when I imagined how scared the martyrs must have been, I felt they were really admirable for keeping their faith,” said 12-year-old visitor Son Chan-hyeok.
A sister at the booth explained the program was intended not to glorify suffering, but to help visitors reflect on the pressures and temptations that can lead people away from their values today.
A child takes part in the martyrdom role-play experience at the 2026 Vocational Fair in Seoul, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin
Meanwhile, the Missionary Sisters of the Mother of God offered visitors a chance to try on a veil worn during perpetual profession, symbolizing a nun’s lifelong commitment to God. A Franciscan booth held a dice game in which the lower number won, reflecting the order’s emphasis on humility and living with and for people at society’s margins.
The Paris Foreign Missions Society introduced its role in the history of Catholic missions in Korea, which began in 1836. The Mother Teresa Center distributed cards listing acts of mercy, such as feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, forgiving others and comforting those in distress.
During Saturday’s opening, Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul described the fair as an “open festival” where Catholics and non-Catholics, Koreans and foreign residents could meet and communicate through culture.
“WYD is not an event only for young people, but a festival of the Church that all of us prepare and create together,” he said.