ISTANBUL

South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung said Monday he hopes that Pope Leo XIV will visit North Korea as a gesture of peace on the Korean Peninsula, the Yonhap News agency reported.

In his first meeting with a religious figure since assuming office on June 3, Lee met with Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik where they discussed the possibility of the pope’s visit.

The cardinal noted that Pope Leo XIV “is widely expected” to pay a visit to South Korea for World Youth Day in 2027.

You is the first Korean prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy at the Vatican.

He also extended a formal invitation for Lee to visit the Vatican, to which the president responded that he would welcome the opportunity to meet the pope before the event.

Lee also expressed his “hope” that the pope “might consider visiting North Korea en route to South Korea as a “symbolic gesture to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula,” according to Yonhap.

“While the Catholic Church has shown particular interest in peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, I hope the Holy See can make a special contribution to improving inter-Korean relations even before 2027,” Lee said.

Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis have visited South Korea.

Last week, You had commented that Pope Leo XIV could play a role in improving ties between the US and North Korea.

“Since the pope is American, I believe he could play an important role in improving US-North Korea relations and in advancing peace on the Korean Peninsula. I think he has the potential to make a big impact on inter-Korean affairs," You told a news conference at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea in Seoul on Thursday.

The divided Koreas have remained in a state of war since the end of the 1950-53 Korean war as it ended in armistice.