South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has extended an official invitation to Pope Leo to visit Seoul in 2027, aiming to enlist the pontiff’s support in advancing peace efforts on the Korean peninsula. The invitation was made during a meeting at the Vatican on Monday, with Lee suggesting that the visit coincide with South Korea’s hosting of World Youth Day in August 2027, a significant international event that draws young Catholics from around the world. The last papal visit to South Korea was by Pope Francis in 2014.

Lee’s visit to Europe includes plans to attend the upcoming Group of Seven summit in France before returning to South Korea. According to the South Korean presidential office, Lee “conveyed to the pope the aspirations of our people and our government’s vision for the establishment of peace on the Korean peninsula.”

A senior South Korean official disclosed that discussions with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin also touched on the possibility of the pope visiting North Korea. This follows past efforts to engage the Vatican in inter-Korean diplomacy; in 2018, then-President Moon Jae-in facilitated an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the Vatican after their summit in Pyongyang. However, it remains uncertain how North Korea would respond to a papal visit at this time.

Recent diplomatic developments have added complexity to the situation. Despite three high-profile summits between Kim and former U.S. President Donald Trump, denuclearization talks stalled, and North Korea has maintained its nuclear arsenal. More recently, Kim has strengthened ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine—a factor that influences the geopolitical calculus surrounding the peninsula.

The latest invitation to Pope Leo comes shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping conducted a visit to Pyongyang, where he notably refrained from referencing denuclearization in public statements. Instead, Xi and Kim pledged to enhance their bilateral relationship, signaling a continued shift in regional alliances and underscoring the challenges faced by efforts to achieve lasting peace on the peninsula.