Dangjin invites Pope Leo XIV to the birthplace of St Andrew Kim Taegon as South Korea advances preparations and global broadcasts for WYD Seoul 2027.
Newsroom (06/07/2026 Gaudium Press ) With just over a year remaining before World Youth Day (WYD) 2027 in Seoul, preparations for the global Catholic gathering are accelerating across South Korea. In a significant development, the mayor of Dangjin, the birthplace of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, has formally invited Pope Leo XIV to visit the coastal city during his anticipated trip for the event, while organizers have also secured a major international broadcasting partnership to expand the celebration’s worldwide reach.
The next World Youth Day is scheduled to take place in Seoul from 3 to 8 August 2027, bringing together young Catholics from across Asia and around the world. As planning intensifies, Dangjin Mayor Kim Ki-jae has extended an official invitation to Pope Leo XIV through Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Holy See’s Congregation for the Clergy.
The invitation carries deep symbolic significance. Dangjin, located on South Korea’s west coast, is home to the Solmoe Shrine and is recognized as the birthplace of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon (1821–1846), the first Korean Catholic priest. During a meeting with Cardinal You at the Solmoe Shrine, Mayor Kim emphasized Dangjin’s historic role as what he described as the “cradle of Korean Catholicism.”
Saint Andrew Kim Taegon occupies a prominent place in the spiritual identity of WYD Seoul 2027. Organizers announced earlier this year that he and his fellow Korean martyrs will serve as patron saints of the event alongside Saint John Paul II, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Saint Josephine Bakhita, and Blessed Carlo Acutis. His inclusion reflects the event’s focus on faith, witness, and courage.
Kim Taegon’s life remains one of the most powerful stories in Korean Catholic history. Ordained as the first native Korean priest, he was martyred at a young age when he was beheaded on 16 September 1846. Nearly 140 years later, Pope John Paul II canonized him in Seoul in 1984, underscoring his enduring significance to both the Korean Church and the global Catholic community.
During Sunday’s meeting, Mayor Kim also proposed incorporating the traditional Gijisi tug-of-war competition into WYD celebrations. Originating in Dangjin, the event is recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Organizers see the ancient tradition as more than a cultural showcase; it is intended to symbolize peace, cooperation, and inter-Korean harmony. The initiative comes amid continued discussion about the possibility of a papal visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone or even North Korea, although no such plans have been confirmed.
Cardinal You has stressed that successful delivery of World Youth Day will require strong cooperation between Church authorities, local governments, and communities throughout the country. Speaking at a recent press conference in Seoul, he highlighted not only the importance of infrastructure and logistics but also the welcoming spirit of ordinary Koreans.
Major facilities such as Seoul-Incheon International Airport will play a crucial role in accommodating the influx of international pilgrims. However, Cardinal You emphasized that personal encounters and hospitality will be equally important, noting that young visitors should experience “the heart of the Korean people” through interactions with local families and communities prepared to host guests from around the world.
Alongside logistical preparations, organizers have taken a major step forward in global communications. The Seoul 2027 World Youth Day Foundation has signed a memorandum of understanding with Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), South Korea’s public broadcaster, to deliver international television coverage of the event.
The agreement, signed on 29 June, establishes a broad framework for cooperation between the WYD Foundation, chaired by Auxiliary Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee, and KBS, led by Chairman Jang-bum Park. The partnership covers domestic and international television broadcasts, news reporting, signal distribution, and coordinated promotional campaigns aimed at audiences both within Korea and abroad.
Under the arrangement, KBS will not only provide live coverage of the major WYD events but will also help communicate the gathering’s spiritual significance to young audiences worldwide. Organizers see the broadcaster’s role as essential in translating the event’s message of faith, hope, and peace beyond those physically present in Seoul.
Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee welcomed the collaboration, describing it as a vital partnership in preparation for what is expected to be one of the largest international events hosted by the Korean Catholic Church.
“We are deeply delighted and excited to join forces with KBS, Korea’s leading public broadcaster, as we prepare together for this great celebration of young people from all over the world,” he said. He added that combining the universal values promoted by World Youth Day with KBS’s broadcasting expertise would help deliver the event’s inspiration and message of peace to viewers across the globe.
For KBS, the partnership represents both a prestigious opportunity and a significant responsibility. Chairman Jang-bum Park said the broadcaster would commit all necessary resources to ensure high-quality coverage of the gathering and the Holy Father’s message to the world’s youth.
The broadcaster brings valuable experience to the task. KBS served as the host broadcaster during Pope Francis’s visit to South Korea in 2014, managing coverage of the pontiff’s major public events. Park indicated that lessons learned from that experience would be applied to the preparations for WYD 2027, with the goal of helping create a memorable and historically significant edition of the international Catholic event.
As Seoul prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims in August 2027, the invitation from Dangjin and the new broadcasting partnership reflect a broader ambition: to showcase both Korea’s Catholic heritage and its message of peace, hospitality, and faith to a global audience.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Asianews.it
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