[Initial Insight] Pope's Proposal for North Korea Visit: An Opportunity for Inter-Korean Relations Improvement?

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] On the 29th of last month, Pope Francis told President Moon Jae-in, who visited the Vatican Apostolic Palace, "If (North Korea) sends an invitation, I am willing to go (to North Korea) to help you and for peace."

President Moon responded, "If Your Holiness has the opportunity to visit North Korea, it will be a momentum for peace on the Korean Peninsula."

President Moon, who was visiting Rome, Italy to attend the G20 summit, reaffirmed his intention to visit North Korea during his meeting with the Pope that day, which is regarded as the greatest diplomatic achievement of this summit.

This is because the proposal for a visit to North Korea by President Moon and the Pope's acceptance were made again after three years since October 2018. President Moon also proposed this to Pope Francis during his visit to the Holy See in 2018, and at that time, the Pope stated, "If an official invitation from North Korea arrives, I can go."

The Pope has expressed his desire to visit North Korea several times. This is not just a simple one-time remark. Examples include: "I also want to go to North Korea." (November 2020, meeting with Bishop Lee Baek-man, outgoing Apostolic Nuncio), "I will go to North Korea when ready." (April 2021, meeting with Archbishop Yoo Heung-sik), and "I hope to be able to go to North Korea. I hope preparations go well." (August 2021, audience with Archbishop Yoo Heung-sik).

The ball seems to be in the court of Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of North Korea. First, according to Vatican diplomatic protocol, the Pope's visit to North Korea requires an invitation from North Korea. The Pope also mentioned this during his meeting with President Moon.

However, North Korea has no direct exchanges with the Holy See. North Korea does not have an ambassador stationed in the Vatican, and the North Korean embassy in Italy is known to have no 'special' exchanges with the Holy See.

North Korea views religion negatively as "the opium of the people," but on the surface, it recognizes freedom of faith, and it is reported that there are Catholic believers. In North Korea, there is the only church built in 1988 in the missionary district of Pyongyang, Jangchung Cathedral, where 70 to 80 Catholics gather for Mass on Sundays, and about 200 on major feast days.

However, due to the special nature of the North Korean regime, experts generally believe that the Pope, who is a symbol of worldwide authority and enjoys strong international support, would feel burdened to meet with General Secretary Kim.

Considering the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula, the Pope's visit to North Korea is not easy. Even three years ago, when the first North Korea-US summit and inter-Korean summit took place and North Korea was more active in the international community than ever, North Korea remained silent about whether to send an invitation. Given the current situation where both inter-Korean and North Korea-US dialogues have been cut off, it is hard to be optimistic about sending an invitation.

This negative situation could rather be an opportunity for President Moon. This is in the context that President Moon could act as a messenger for the Pope's visit to North Korea. President Moon has met the Pope twice in person to request a visit to North Korea, and each time the Pope responded positively, which proves this.

North Korea may also judge that it would be better to communicate through the South Korean government rather than directly with the Holy See. General Secretary Kim might prefer a format where both he and the Pope meet through intermediaries rather than inviting the Pope directly.

President Moon, with about six months left in his term, has taken a gamble by pushing for a declaration to formally end the Korean War, but the reactions from the US and North Korea remain cold. Although consultations with the US are ongoing, there have been no substantial results.

In this situation, the Pope's visit card is definitely an opportunity for a turnaround. Given the Pope's moral, religious, ethical, and human rights stature, it could have a positive impact on the human rights situation in North Korea and, as the government hopes, could open a breakthrough in the deadlocked inter-Korean dialogue.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.