Unification Minister Chung Dong-young (L), South Korea's point man on inter-Korean relations, meets with South Korea-born Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy of the Holy See, over a luncheon in Seoul, South Korea, 22 July 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
July 22 (Asia Today) -- South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong Young said Wednesday that Seoul would work to rebuild trust with North Korea before Pope Leo XIV's expected visit next year and expressed hope that North Korean youths could attend World Youth Day.
Chung made the remarks during a luncheon in Seoul with Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Clergy, who was visiting South Korea during his vacation.
Pope Leo is expected to visit South Korea for World Youth Day, an international Catholic gathering scheduled to be held in Seoul from Aug. 3-8, 2027.
"Inter-Korean contact, dialogue and meetings have been suspended for the past seven or eight years," Chung said. "I hope the pope's visit will provide an opportunity to build a bridge."
