WYD 2027: Pope invited to Dangjin, the birthplace of St Andrew Kim

During a meeting with Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, the mayor of the coastal town invited Pope Leo XIV to the Solmoe Shrine in the “cradle of Korean Catholicism”. St Andrew Kim Taegon and his companions are among the patron saints of the event. An agreement has been reached between the Seoul 2027 WYD Foundation and the South Korean public broadcaster KBS for the international broadcast of the event.

Rome (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Just over a year ahead of the eagerly awaited gathering of the world’s Catholic youth in South Korea – the next WYD will take place in Seoul from 3 to 8 August 2027 – the mayor of Dangjin, a town on the west coast and the birthplace of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon (1821–1846), the first Korean Catholic priest, has officially invited Pope Leo XIV to visit the city. Mayor Kim Ki-jae extended the invitation via Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Holy See’s Congregation for the Clergy.

As announced last April, the martyr Saint Andrew Kim Taego will be among the patron saints of the next World Youth Day – alongside John Paul II, Frances Xavier Cabrini, Josephine Bakhita and Carlo Acutis. Saint Andrew Kim Taegon was chosen, together with his fellow martyrs, as a symbol of faith and courage. He was beheaded on 16 September 1846, whilst still a young man. Pope Wojtyla canonised him in 1984, in Seoul Cathedral itself.

The mayor and Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik met on Sunday at the Solmoe Shrine in Dangjin. On this occasion, Kim Ki-jae highlighted the symbolic importance of Dangjin, which he described as the cradle of Korean Catholicism. The mayor also proposed organising a Gijisi tug-of-war competition, an ancient tradition and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, which originated in Dangjin itself. This is intended as a symbolic gesture to convey a message of peace and inter-Korean harmony, whilst a visit by Pope Leo XIV to the demilitarised zone on the border, or to North Korea, remains apossibility.

A few days earlier, Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, at a press conference in Seoul, emphasised the importance of local authorities and dioceses in ensuring the logistical success of this global event. Human connections are equally vital: in addition to the major facilities that will host young people from Asia and around the world – such as Seoul-Incheon International Airport – contact with “the heart of the Korean people”, who will welcome the young people into their homes, will be essential.

Meanwhile, the Korean organisational machinery for World Youth Day 2027 is also moving forward through a memorandum of understanding between the Seoul 2027 WYD Foundation, chaired by Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee, and the Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), led by Chairman Jang-bum Park. The Korean public broadcaster will therefore broadcast the WYD events to audiences around the world. The agreement establishes cooperation on television broadcasts to support the success of the event and its live coverage.

In addition to broadcasting, KBS will also be tasked with conveying the meaning, inspiration and spirit of WYD to young people worldwide. The signing ceremony on 29 June was attended by Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the WYD Seoul 2027 Foundation, and KBS Chairman Jang-bum Park, alongside representatives from various institutions. The agreement provides for collaboration in various areas, including national and international television coverage, news reporting and signal distribution. It also covers joint planning for promotional campaigns aimed at audiences in Korea and abroad.

The Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul, Paul Kyung-sang Lee, said: “We are deeply delighted and excited to join forces with KBS, Korea’s leading public broadcaster, as we prepare together for this great celebration of young people from all over the world.” He added: “When the universal values that WYD aims to proclaim are combined with KBS’s expertise and broadcasting technology, we believe that the event’s vivid inspiration, together with its message of peace, will be conveyed in all its fullness to young people and viewers around the world.”

The KBS Chairman stated: “For KBS, this is both an honour and a responsibility that we naturally assume as a Korean public broadcaster. As this is a significant occasion on which the Holy Father will bring a message of courage and hope to young people around the world, we will spare no effort in our preparations.” KBS also acted as the host broadcaster during Pope Francis’s visit to South Korea in 2014, ensuring “smooth coverage of all the main events. “Drawing fully on the experience gained on that occasion, we will do everything possible to help make the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul a successful event that will long remain in the history of major Catholic gatherings,” he added.