ANKARA

South Korea’s government has called on Pope Leo XIV to visit North Korea to "help promote peace" on the Korean Peninsula, local media reported Wednesday.

The request was made by South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, who met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Tuesday and handed him a letter for the pope, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

During the meeting at the Vatican, Woo said a papal visit to North Korea would hold great significance for both global and inter-Korean peace if done by the occasion of World Youth Day, set to be hosted next year by Seoul.

According to Woo, who is currently on a 10-day trip to Portugal, Italy, and Spain, some 400,000 to 1 million young participants from around the world will gather in Seoul next August for the event.

"We hope this event will mark a new turning point for peace on the Korean Peninsula," he added

Voicing "regret" over the suspension of inter-Korean talks, Parolin expressed his support for South Korea's renewed efforts to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.

World Youth Day brings together Catholic young people from around the world for prayer, fellowship, and interaction with the pope.

The event is typically held every two to three years.

*Writing by Aamir Latif