Top Stories 23/08/06 S. Koreans elated as Seoul to host next World Youth Day

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S. Koreans elated as Seoul to host next World Youth Day

The 2027 World Youth Day will be a turning point for Korean Church's youth ministry, says Archbishop Chung of Seoul

Pilgrims and bishops celebrate on stage holding a South Korean flag as the next World Youth Day (WYD) is to be held in Seoul, during the closing at Tejo Park, Lisbon, on Aug. 6. (Photo: Thomas Coex/AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: August 07, 2023 09:33 AM GMT

South Korean Catholics and politicians have expressed joy and enthusiasm as Pope Francis declared the national capital Seoul as the next venue for World Youth Day (WYD) in 2027.

"The next World Youth Day will take place in Asia. It will be in South Korea, in Seoul," Francis said on Aug. 6 during the closing Mass of World Youth Day in Lisbon.

More than 1,000 Koreans were among some 1.5 million Catholic pilgrims who attended the triennial global Catholic gathering started by Pope John Paul in 1984.

In a press conference on Aug. 6, Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taek of Seoul thanked the pope for selecting his archdiocese to host the WYD, Catholic Peace Broadcasting Corporation (CPBC) reported on Aug. 7.

Chung, who also attended WYD in Lisbon, stated that he would use the experience in Portugal to prepare for the event.

“We will prepare for the next event by inheriting the know-how of the Lisbon World Youth Day Organizing Committee,” Chung said.

“In addition, we will work closely with Vatican City, the government authorities of the Republic of Korea, officials from Seoul, local governments across the country, and safety management and security authorities to prepare well for the [event],” the prelate said.

Father Yang Joo-yeol, director of the Institute for Integrated Pastoral Studies at Seoul National University, and Bernadette Park Ha-Eun, a WYD 2023 participant also attended the press conference.

Chung also voiced his hope that the 2027 event would help in revitalizing the Korean Church’s youth ministry which he pointed out has “been stagnant since the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“I hope that the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul will be a turning point where youth ministries… can be revived and blossom further in Korea and in all countries that have suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Chung said.

Chung also pointed out that the WYD event in Seoul will allow its participants to “feel the unique taste and depth of the Korean church and Korean culture.”

“Only a small number are Catholic, but I think the Catholic Church in Korea has a very strong spiritual power,” Chung said.

“All the young people and everyone who will come to participate in the 2027 World Youth Day from all over the world think it will be a great opportunity to meet the Korean church and Korean culture with a different taste and depth,” Chung added.

Park, who participated in the WYD in Lisbon stated that the event helped her understand other participants’ backgrounds and revitalize her faith.

“We didn’t know anything about each other, but it was nice to be able to get along as one Catholic, and it seemed like we became more religious,” Park said.

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo welcomed the announcement and said that the event in Seoul will be a “celebration not only for Catholics in Korea but also for the entire country.”

"The pope has shown continued interest in peace on the Korean Peninsula, especially by expressing his willingness to visit North Korea,” Kim said.

“I hope that the steps toward peace by the pope and the youth of the world in Korea will be a great journey that will bring a spring of peace to the Korean Peninsula,” Kim further added.

Kim made an official visit to the Vatican earlier this month to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and the Vatican.

In a Facebook post, Seoul city mayor Stephen Oh Se-hoon said the WYD has a “special meaning” for the Korean peninsula and promised to provide all the necessary support to conduct the event.

"Pope Francis, who is paying special attention to peace on the Korean Peninsula, is scheduled to visit Korea for the second time in 13 years following 2014, so this also has a special meaning,” said Oh, a Catholic.

Christianity arrived in Korea in the 17th century, but it gained a significant foothold in the 19th century, according to church records. It spread despite brutal persecution from rulers of the Joseon dynasty who viewed the religion as a subversive faith that defies dominant Confucian ethics and invites foreign imperialism.

Official statistics show Christianity is now the most followed organized religion from just about one percent followers in the 1990s.

Today, about 56 percent of South Koreans are non-religious, over 30 percent are Christians and 15.5 percent are Buddhists.

There are about 5.6 million Catholics spread across three archdioceses, 14 dioceses, and a military ordinariate.

Pope Francis visited South Korea in 2014 to attend the sixth Asian Youth Day and canonized 124 Korean martyrs.