Unification minister, Seoul archbishop hope N. Korean youth join Catholic festival in Seoul
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, right, and Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of the Seoul Archdiocese pose for a photo during their meeting at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of the unification ministry
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and the archbishop of the Seoul Catholic archdiocese on Thursday expressed hope that North Korean youth could participate in a global Catholic youth festival scheduled in Seoul for 2027.
The remarks were exchanged during Chung's meeting with Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of the Seoul Archdiocese at Myeongdong Cathedral, as South Korea's Catholic community prepares to host World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul in August 2027.
"I hope the Catholic World Youth Day to be held in South Korea in 2027 will become a significant watershed for peace on the Korean Peninsula," Chung said, adding that he hopes the Seoul archdiocese's wish for North Korean youth participation will come true.
The archbishop said participation by North Korean youth, however limited, would be a symbolic boost to inter-Korean relations, pledging to explore and pursue ways to make it happen.
The minister also expressed expectations for Pope Leo XIV's visit to North Korea on his way to South Korea for the Catholic festival, to which the archbishop responded that he will explore "various routes" to make it happen.
During the meeting, the minister also said "de facto" unification of the two Koreas should come first before legal or political unification.
Cooperation between South and North Korea as two peaceful countries, along with the free flow of people, money and resources on that basis, would constitute de facto unification, the ministry noted.