문 대통령, 한반도 평화 지지 요청; 교황, 전 세계와 기도하겠다
On Thursday, the South Korean leader was at the Vatican to meet Pope Francis.
The pontiff showed strong suppot for the Korean peace process, even telling the president to march ahead without stopping.
An unprecedented papal visit to Pyeongyang is looking like a possibility.
Cha Sangmi tells us more.
Pope Francis may soon become the first Pontiff to ever step foot in North Korea.
Meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for an hour at the Vatican on Thursday, Pope Francis expressed his willingness to visit Pyeongyang if officially invited,… adding he will (quote) "unconditionally give answer" and will "certainly" respond to such an invitation.
Such a positive response coming as President Moon verbally relayed a message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that was exchanged during last month's third inter-Korean summit of the year in Pyeongyang.
Discussing peace on the divided Korean Peninsula, Pope Francis told President Moon to (quote) "Move forward without stopping" and said (quote) Don't be afraid."
He also reiterated his strong support for the South Korean government's efforts to lead the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.
President Moon thanked Pope Francis for his support, saying he always reminds himself of the pope's message - that dialogue can resolve all conflicts - whenever he and the country faced a critical moment trying to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula.
These snippets of conversation between the pope and a world leader would normally remain private, but South Korea's presidential office said the Vatican agreed to make a special exception this time, even revealing parts of what the pope told President Moon.
"The president has checked off three of the five countries on the his tour,… most of which he's spent upgrading bilateral ties and getting European countries on board his peace train.
The remainder of the president's trip takes him to the Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, here in Belgium and the P4G Copenhagen Summit in Denmark.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News, Brussels."
