BY Daniel Harkins | March 10 | 
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Pope Francis to visit South Korea this August
Papal visit to the Asian country, the first in a quarter of a century, coincides with the Sixth Asian Youth Day and the Beatification of 124 Korean martyrs
Pope Francis is to travel to South Korea in August of this year in what will be his first visit to Asia.
The trip will take place from August 14-18 and will be the first time in 25 years that a Pope has visited the Korean peninsula. Pope John Paul II was the last to visit the Asian country, travelling there in 1984 and 1989.
A statement form the Press Office of the Holy See announced the visit saying the Pope welcomed the invitation from the President of the Republic and the Korean bishops. “His Holiness Pope Francis will make an Apostolic Voyage to the Republic of Korea from 14 to 18 August 2014, on the occasion of the Sixth Asian Youth Day, to be held in the diocese of Daejeon,” the statement says.
Pope Francis last month cleared 124 Korean martyrs for Beatification and is expected to preside over the ceremony himself during the trip.
Korea has a strong Catholic Church with some 5.5 million Catholics, making up just over 10% of the total population.
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