Top Stories 26/06/29 Seoul signs broadcast deal for World Youth Day 2027

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S. Korea’s public broadcaster will be host broadcaster for global Catholic youth gathering and distribute coverage worldwide

Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee, Chairman of the Board of the WYD Seoul 2027 Foundation, left, and KBS President Park Jang-beom pose with the signed agreement after concluding the “Host Broadcasting Operations Agreement for WYD Seoul 2027.” (Photo: Archdiocese of Seoul)

By UCA News reporter

Published: June 30, 2026 07:54 AM GMT

Updated: June 30, 2026 10:48 AM GMT

The World Youth Day (WYD) Seoul 2027 Foundation and South Korea’s public broadcaster, Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), have signed an agreement for the network to serve as the official host broadcaster of the global Catholic youth gathering in Seoul in 2027.

The memorandum of understanding was signed June 29 by Paul Kyung-sang Lee, chairman of the WYD Seoul 2027 Foundation, and KBS President Park Jang-beom, according to a news release from the Archdiocese of Seoul.

The agreement establishes a framework for broadcast cooperation to support the event and ensure its live transmission to audiences worldwide.

Under the agreement, KBS will serve as the host broadcaster for the major ceremonies and programs of WYD Seoul 2027, to be held in Seoul from Aug. 3-8, 2027.

KBS will oversee the production and distribution of the international broadcast signal and ensure coverage of key events for domestic and international audiences. It will also help communicate the themes and message of WYD to young people across the globe.

The two organizations will collaborate on a range of activities, including broadcast coverage, news reporting, signal distribution, the establishment and operation of an International Broadcasting Center, and joint promotional and production initiatives for audiences in South Korea and abroad.

Bishop Lee, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seoul, said WYD 2027 would be a celebration of faith and culture for young people from around the world.

“WYD Seoul 2027 will be a place of encounter and communion, where young people from every corner of the world gather in Seoul to share their faith and culture,” he said.

“We are deeply pleased and encouraged to join hands with KBS, Korea’s leading public broadcaster, as we prepare together for this great celebration of young people from around the world,” he added.

“When the universal values that WYD seeks to proclaim are joined with the broadcasting expertise and technology of KBS, we believe that the vivid inspiration of the event, together with a message of peace, will be conveyed in its fullness to young people and viewers throughout the world,” he said.

Park said KBS viewed its role as host broadcaster as “both an honor and a responsibility.”

“As this is a meaningful occasion on which the Holy Father will bring a message of courage and hope to the young people of the world, we will spare no effort in our preparations,” he said.

Park also cited KBS’s experience serving as host broadcaster during the visit of Pope Francis to South Korea in 2014.

“Drawing fully on that accumulated experience, we will do everything in our power to help make WYD Seoul 2027 a successful event that will long be remembered in the history of major Catholic gatherings,” he said.

The foundation and KBS will now develop a detailed implementation plan, including preparations for the International Broadcasting Center, broadcast production and international signal distribution.

WYD, established by Pope John Paul II, is held every three years and brings together young Catholics from around the world for prayer, pilgrimage, cultural exchange and faith formation.

Pope Leo XIV is expected to attend the Seoul gathering.