Overview
- President Lee Jae Myung met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on June 15 and officially invited the pope to visit South Korea for World Youth Day in August 2027.
- The Holy See publicly reaffirmed support for Seoul’s peace initiative and Vatican officials said any papal engagement with North Korea would require Pyongyang’s willingness to cooperate.
- Lee elevated ties with Italy to a special strategic partnership and secured EU-level cooperation on information security and digital trade before traveling to the G7 summit in Evian on June 16 to press allied support.
- Seoul has rolled out confidence-building measures such as suspending loudspeaker and leaflet campaigns while Pyongyang remains largely unresponsive and continues its nuclear and missile programs.
- Hosting World Youth Day gives South Korea a diplomatic platform to internationalize the peace effort and could strengthen third-party mediation options if North Korea signals openness to talks.