Culture Minister Yu In-chon to head delegation to pope inauguration Sunday
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon will lead the South Korean delegation to the formal inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on Sunday.
Yu will attend the ceremony alongside South Korea's ambassador to the Holy See, Oh Hyun-joo, joining representatives and religious leaders from some 200 countries. Notable attendees include US Vice President JD Vance, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Britain's Prince Edward.
Separately, prominent Korean Catholic leaders will be in attendance. They are Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, former archbishop of Seoul; Bishop Mathias Lee Yong-hoon, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea; and Seoul Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick. They will be joined by Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, the Vatican's prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.
Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States, presided over his first Mass on Friday, pledging to lead a humble church open to 'ordinary people.' His emphasis on advocating for the poor, migrants and women deacons — principles embraced by the late Pope Francis — signaling the potential for continuing tension with conservative traditionalists during his papacy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Lee, Trump agree to meet soon, tee up ‘golf for alliance': Seoul
Trump and Lee share experiences of surviving assassination attempts in their first call South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and US President Donald Trump agreed to meet as soon as possible — and play a round of golf — with Trump inviting Lee to visit the US, Seoul's presidential office said Friday. The first phone call between Lee and Trump occurred around 10 p.m. Friday, two days after Lee was inaugurated president on Wednesday after his confirmed victory in Tuesday's early presidential election. The 20-minute phone conversation drew heightened attention in Seoul as the alliance faces a laundry list of pending issues on multiple fronts, from security to trade. 'The two presidents agreed to work toward reaching a tariff agreement between the US and South Korea that would be satisfactory to both countries,' said Kang Yu-jung, the presidential spokesperson, in a written statement. To that end, Lee and Trump agreed to 'encourage tangible results from the working-level negotiations.' Seoul and Washington have been engaged in working-level negotiations ahead of the expiration of a 90-day self-imposed moratorium on Trump's reciprocal tariffs, which are scheduled to take effect for each country on July 9. The deadline set by the Trump administration for all US trading partners to submit their best offers on a trade deal expired Wednesday. According to Lee's office, 'President Trump invited President Lee to visit the US, and President Lee responded that he hopes to meet and consult frequently with the US as part of their special alliance.' 'The two presidents agreed to meet at the earliest possible time — either on the sidelines of a multilateral meeting or on the occasion of a bilateral visit — to further discuss the development of the alliance," the statement added. Lee's office confirmed Saturday morning that he will attend the G7 Summit in Alberta, Canada, on June 16–17 as an observer state—setting the stage for his first face-to-face meeting with Trump. Another possible opportunity for the two leaders to meet is the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague on June 24–25, where South Korea has been invited as one of four Indo-Pacific partners, alongside Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. However, when asked on Saturday whether Lee would participate in the NATO summit, a presidential official speaking on condition of anonymity said, 'That issue has not been discussed yet.' Golf, parallel experience connect leaders Meanwhile, Lee's office highlighted Friday that the phone call between Lee and Trump took place in a 'friendly and informal atmosphere.' Notably, the presidential office in Seoul shared that Lee and Trump 'introduced their respective golfing skills and agreed to play a round for the alliance whenever possible.' Trump is well known for his passion for golf. 'The two presidents also shared various anecdotes and experiences from their presidential campaigns, particularly concerning the risks of assassination and the political challenges they faced,' the presidential office said. 'They agreed that strong leadership comes from overcoming such difficulties.' Lee was stabbed in the neck with a knife while visiting the construction site of a new airport in the southeastern port city of Busan in January 2024. In July last year, Trump's right ear was grazed by a bullet while he was campaigning for the 2024 presidential election in Pennsylvania. Delayed call draws political fire The Korea Herald has learned that South Korea's Foreign Ministry sought to arrange the first phone call between the two leaders on Lee's inauguration day. However, the call occurred later than his predecessors. President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol held his first phone call with then-US President Joe Biden about five hours after his election on March 10, 2022. Similarly, President Moon Jae-in spoke with his US counterpart on the day of his inauguration, May 10, 2017, despite the absence of a traditional transition period following the early presidential election. Then President-elect Park Geun-hye held a phone call with US President Barack Obama two days after her victory on December 19, 2012. The protracted phone call drew criticism in Seoul, mainly from the opposition People Power Party — especially after the White House issued an unusual response to the presidential election, expressing US concern and opposition to "Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world."
Korea Herald
15 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Lee, Trump agree to meet soon, tee up golf for alliance: Seoul
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and US President Donald Trump agreed to meet as soon as possible — and play a round of golf — with Trump inviting Lee to visit the US, Seoul's presidential office said. The first phone call between Lee and Trump occurred around 10 p.m. Friday, two days after Lee was officially inaugurated as president on Wednesday, following his confirmed victory in Tuesday's early presidential election. The 20-minute phone conversation drew heightened attention in Seoul as the alliance faces a laundry list of pending issues on multiple fronts, from security to trade. 'The two presidents agreed to work toward reaching a tariff agreement between the US and South Korea that would be satisfactory to both countries,' said Kang Yu-jung, the presidential spokesperson, in a written statement. To that end, Lee and Trump agreed to 'encourage tangible results from the working-level negotiations.' Seoul and Washington have been engaged in working-level negotiations ahead of the expiration of a 90-day self-imposed moratorium on Trump's reciprocal tariffs, which are scheduled to take effect for each country on July 9. The deadline set by the Trump administration for all US trading partners to submit their best offers on a trade deal expired Wednesday. According to Lee's office, 'President Trump invited President Lee to visit the US, and President Lee responded that he hopes to meet and consult frequently with the US as part of their special alliance.' 'The two presidents agreed to meet at the earliest possible time — either on the sidelines of a multilateral meeting or on the occasion of a bilateral visit — to further discuss the development of the alliance," the statement added. Notably, the presidential office in Seoul disclosed that Lee and Trump 'introduced their respective golfing skills and agreed to play a round for the alliance whenever possible.' Trump and Lee could meet on the sidelines of two multilateral events in June. The first is the G7 Summit in Alberta, Canada, on June 16–17, 2025, if South Korea is invited as an observer state and decides to attend. The other opportunity is the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague on June 24–25, which South Korea has been invited to as one of four Indo-Pacific partners alongside Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Lee's office highlighted that the call between Lee and Trump was conducted with a 'friendly and informal atmosphere.' 'The two presidents also shared various anecdotes and experiences from their presidential campaigns, particularly concerning the risks of assassination and the political challenges they faced,' the presidential office said. 'They agreed that strong leadership comes from overcoming such difficulties.' The Korea Herald has learned that South Korea's Foreign Ministry sought to arrange the first phone call between the two leaders on Lee's inauguration day. However, the call occurred later than his predecessors. President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol held his first phone call with then-US President Joe Biden about five hours after his election on March 10, 2022. Similarly, President Moon Jae-in spoke with his US counterpart on the day of his inauguration, May 10, 2017, despite the absence of a traditional transition period following the early presidential election. Then President-elect Park Geun-hye held a phone call with US President Barack Obama two days after her victory on December 19, 2012. The protracted phone call drew criticism in Seoul, mainly from the opposition People Power Party — especially after the White House issued an unusual response to the presidential election, expressing US concern and opposition to "Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world."
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
World leaders congratulate Lee Jae-myung on election win
Opposition in Seoul criticizes delayed first phone call with Trump President Lee Jae-myung's victory on Tuesday prompted a wave of congratulatory messages from around the world, but his political opponents in Seoul noted that the customary Day One phone call with the US president was delayed. The latest statement from the presidential spokesperson, Kang Yu-jung, did not mention when Lee's first phone call with US President Donald Trump might take place. On Thursday, Kang said the South Korean president's call with Trump was being arranged, adding that factors like different time zones had to be put into consideration. Some within the opposition in Seoul pointed out that past South Korean presidents usually held the first over-the-phone talks with their US counterparts on the day they assumed office, if not the day after. "I think there are two possibilities at play. One is that Washington seems to have doubts about where the new South Korean president stands on China," People Power Party Rep. Ihn Yohan, on the National Assembly's foreign committee, told The Korea Herald. "The other is that trade talks with other countries are a bit stalled, and being given a priority. We hope it is the latter." The White House's statement on Lee's presidential win on Wednesday included an unusual mention of China. "The US-ROK Alliance remains ironclad. While South Korea had a free and fair election, the United States remains concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world," the statement said, according to Reuters. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio extended a more neutral congratulations. "We congratulate President Lee Jae-myung on his election as the next president of the Republic of Korea," he said. Rubio said the two allies "share an ironclad commitment to the Alliance grounded in our Mutual Defense Treaty, shared values, and deep economic ties." Rubio also highlighted continuity of trilateral cooperation among South Korea, Japan and the US and building on shared values. "We will also continue to deepen US-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation to bolster regional security, enhance economic resilience, and build our shared democratic principles," he said. More well wishes came in from US Congress members. Sen. Bill Hagerty on Friday congratulated Lee on his win via social platform Twitter. "As a senator and former US ambassador to Japan, I look forward to working with Seoul to continue strengthening the US-ROK Alliance and the US-ROK-Japan trilateral strategic partnership," the Republican senator said. The US Congressional Korea Caucus issued a statement Wednesday and said they looked forward to "working together with President Lee Jae-myung and his administration during this critical time for the alliance." "We also wish to recognize the estimated 2 million Korean Americans throughout the United States who play a vital role in maintaining our strong bilateral relationship," the Korea Caucus statement said. Key regional neighbors including China and Japan congratulated Lee soon after his election was called. Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing places a "high priority on its relationship with Seoul, and is ready to work closely with the incoming administration to deepen bilateral ties." Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, calling Lee's win a "reflection of the will of the Korean people," said he hoped for "renewed relations after years of strain between the two countries." "It is in our mutual interest to work closely together on issues of security, historical reconciliation and regional stability," he said. Lee also received congratulations from Taiwan. President Lai Ching-te extended "sincerest congratulations to the people of the Republic of Korea and President Lee," according to the Taiwanese president's spokesperson Karen Kuo. Kuo said Lai hoped to "deepen bilateral relations" with Seoul, and "jointly help contribute to democracy, peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region." Over the campaign, Lee said he would take a "pragmatic approach" in dealing with both China and Taiwan in a possible contingency.
