Moon says Pope Francis stated intent to visit N. Korea

President Moon Jae-in said Monday that Pope Francis stated his intention to visit North Korea during their meeting at the Vatican last week.

Moon and the pope met Friday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Rome. Moon said at the meeting that a papal visit to North Korea would foster peace on the Korean Peninsula and the pope responded positively, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

"Pope Francis prayed as always for peace on the Korean Peninsula and stated his intention to visit North Korea," Moon wrote on Facebook before departing Rome.

"I believe that the clock of peace on the Korean Peninsula will begin moving briskly again," he said.

Moon and the pope met for the first time since 2018, when Moon made a state visit to Italy. At the time, the president delivered a verbal invitation to the pope from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but a papal visit failed to materialize amid a deadlock in nuclear talks between the North and the United States.

Moon wrote on Facebook that world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also expressed their continued support for peace on the peninsula.

He noted that the leaders at the G-20 summit adopted the goal of vaccinating 70 percent of the world's population against COVID-19 by mid-2022 and agreed to work together to address disruptions to global supply chains.

"Rome was regaining its energy," Moon wrote. "Just as the city mixes its splendid history with creative attempts, it was recovering as ever on the basis of its diversity." (Yonhap)