SEOUL (UCAN): “It would be a great help if the pope, not anyone else, would go and play a role for peace on the Korean Peninsula,” South Korea’s Unification minister, Kwon Young-se, said during a visit to Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong of Gwangju on June 21, Yonhap News Agency of South Korea reported.
The meeting was part of Kwon’s initiative to seek an opinion from the leaders of seven major religions in South Korea to tackle various inter-Korean issues.
Archbishop Kim assured the minister that Pope Francis is eager to visit North Korea whenever he is officially invited.
The idea of a papal visit to North Korea was first floated by former South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, during his talks with North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. Moon met Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2018 when he invited the pontiff to visit North Korea
Following another audience with the pope on 29 October 2021, Moon reportedly told Pope Francis that if he does get an opportunity to visit North Korea, it would “create momentum for peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
The pope responded that he would “gladly visit” the North if he receives an official invitation.
“I will try harder to shift the currently chilled inter-Korean ties into a phase of the dialogue,” Kwon said during a press conference this month to give a briefing on the North Korea policy of new president,Yoon Seok-youl.
He said that he is willing to meet with North Korea’s Unification minister, Ri Son-gwon, “at any time in any format.”
The offer for talks comes amid simmering tensions after North Korea tested a record eight ballistic missiles since June 6 after South Korea-US joint military drills ended.
Besides the discussion over a possible papal visit, Archbishop Kim also stressed the need to increase humanitarian aid for North Korean people who are reeling under severe drought and Covid-19 infections.
He particularly insisted on restarting dormitories for workers at Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea, near the demilitarised zone, and resuming inter-Korean railway connectivity.
“Religious groups tried to donate rice, but they said they couldn’t bring in vehicles because of UN sanctions,” Archbishop Kim said during the meeting.
With the closure of its borders, North Korea has become virtually inaccessible to international envoys and other officials.
Inter-Korean discussions on reconciliation and reunification faces hurdles. The north’s unification minister, Ri Son-gwon, is known for his hardline stance on Seoul and Washington, while Yoon vowed to pursue a “tough policy” and to teach some manners to “rude boy” Kim Jong-un shortly after he won the presidential election on March 9.
However, Archbishop Kim said he never stops dreaming of peace between the two Koreas. “My dream is for the leaders of the two Koreas to meet at Panmunjom to sign a peace agreement and the pope will come and guarantee it,” he said.
North Korea does not have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, and no pope has ever visited the country.
Kim Jong-un’s father, Kim Jong-il, invited Pope John Paul II to visit North Korea after the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. The Vatican reportedly responded by saying that a papal visit would only be possible if the Catholic Church was allowed to function in the country independently.
The state-run Korea Catholic Association says North Korea has some 3,000 Catholics. Independent researchers put the figure at 800.
