Young Ju Kim, 25, from the city of Busan, said it is “surprising” and “an honor” that her country will host the next World Youth Day.
“It is so incredible because Korea is separated into the north and the south, so… it is an important time for our country,” she said.
It is “a great gift for all of us,” Giulianna Peccini, an Italian missionary working in Korea for 25 years, told CNA, adding that World Youth Day in South Korea will bring “a renewal of our faith.”
More than 1,000 Korean Catholics attended WYD 2023 in Lisbon.
Pope Francis celebrated Mass for an estimated 1.5 million participants in Tejo Park in Lisbon, concluding the six-day youth festival and his own five-day trip to Portugal.
The Catholic Church has celebrated World Youth Day (WYD) annually since the event was established by Pope John Paul II in 1985.
