South and North Korea remain technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
The Pope would be the second pontiff to visit South Korea. The late Pope John Paul II traveled to Seoul twice – one in 1984 and the other in 1989.
The trip, his first papal visit to an Asian country, indicates that the 77-year-old pontiff will be more focused on Asia, the report said, noting that he plans to visit Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January.
The number of Catholic believers in South Korea stands at about 5 million, one-tenth of the country’s population.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
