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South Korean President Moon Jae-in gives a speech during the International Naval Review on the waters off the southern coast of Jeju Island on Oct. 11. (Blue House photo pool))

President Moon Jae-in is scheduled to attend a mass for peace on the Korean Peninsula to be held by the Vatican on Oct. 17.

He is also expected to meet with Pope Francis the following day to relay an invitation to visit North Korea from leader Kim Jong-un.

“President Moon will be using his attendance at ASEM (the Asia-Europe Meeting) in Belgium as an opportunity to visit France, Italy, the Vatican City, Belgium, and Denmark between Oct. 13 and 21,” Blue House National Security Office second vice director Nam Gwan-pyo said in an Oct. 11 talk with reporters.

The key event in President Moon’s tour is to be his stop at the Vatican on Oct. 17–18.

“President Moon and the First Lady will be attending a mass for peace on the Korean Peninsula at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Oct. 17,” a Blue House senior official said.

“Somewhat exceptionally, the mass is to be held personally by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State [the Vatican’s equivalent to a prime minister],” the official added, describing this as “signaling the Vatican’s interest in the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

After the mass, President Moon is to deliver a speech on the South Korean government’s efforts to establish peace on the peninsula. On Oct. 18, he is scheduled to visit Pope Francis and relay an invitation to visit North Korea extended by leader Kim Jong-un during an inter-Korean summit last month in Pyongyang. Regarding the likelihood of Pope Francis agreeing to the visit, a Blue House senior official said, “Since Chairman Kim has stated a definite position, we are looking forward to a good outcome without the kinds of difficulties seen in the past” – a reference to an ultimately cancelled papal visit to North Korea planned in 2000 while Kim Jong-un was in power.

Meanwhile, the Blue House announced that the group BTS (Bangtan Boys) will taking part in “Resonance of Korean music,” a South Korea-France friendship concert taking place in Paris on Oct. 14 with 400 culture and arts figures, VIPs, and Korean Wave fans in attendance. BTS is currently on tour in Europe.

By Seong Yeon-cheol and Lee Kyung-mi, staff reporters

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