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Archdiocese of Seoul announces basic plan for 2027 World Youth Day

Published: 27 Oct. 2025, 19:41 Updated: 27 Oct. 2025, 19:56

Pope Leo XIV attends a Mass for Episcopal Ordination of Monsignor Miroslaw Stanislaw Wachowski in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Oct. 26. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Olympic Park in Songpa District, southern Seoul and Yeouido Han River Park in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul are being considered as the main venues for the closing mass of the 2027 World Youth Day (WYD), which Pope Leo XIV will attend during his visit to Korea.

The Archdiocese of Seoul announced the basic plan for the 2027 WYD during a press briefing held on Monday at the Omnibus Park Convention Hall on the Catholic University of Korea’s Songeui Campus in Seocho District, southern Seoul. The event will take place for 11 days from July 29 to Aug. 8, 2027.

Archbishop of Seoul Peter Soon-taick Chung said that former Pope Francis had chosen the official theme for the event — “Take courage! I have overcome the world,” an excerpt from John 16:33.

“This is the message Jesus gave his disciples 2,000 years ago, and it remains a message for today’s youth,” Archbishop Chung said. “To young people struggling amid the climate crisis, global inequality and growing emotional isolation, the Lord calls out, ‘Take courage.’ The 2027 WYD will carry this message and serve as a beacon of hope for young people around the world.”

Chung added that five core goals will be pursued through the event: share hope and courage; promote universal fraternity; share Korean culture with the world; encourage interfaith harmony and social solidarity; and ensure transparency and public trust in organizing the gathering.

Archbishop of Seoul Peter Soon-taick Chung speaks during a press briefing held Oct. 27 at the Omnibus Park Convention Hall on the Catholic University of Korea’s Songeui Campus in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [BAIK SUNG-HO]

WYD was established by Pope John Paul II in 1985 to celebrate the then newly designated “World Youth Day.” The first event took place in Rome in 1986 and drew about 300,000 participants.

If held in Seoul, the 2027 event is expected to attract around 400,000 young people from abroad and a total of 700,000 to 1 million participants overall. The economic impact is estimated at between 2 trillion and 3 trillion won ($1.4 billion to $2.1 billion), with up to 16,000 jobs expected to be created. It will be the second time an Asian country hosts the event, following Manila in the Philippines in 1995.

Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee, the general coordinator of the WYD Seoul organizing committee, described the event as “a papal celebration and a global festival for young people.”

Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee, the general coordinator of the 2027 World Youth Day Seoul organizing committee, speaks during a press briefing held Oct. 27 at the Omnibus Park Convention Hall on the Catholic University of Korea’s Songeui Campus in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [BAIK SUNG-HO]

“We hope to invite young people from North Korea, as well as North Korean defectors living in the South, so that they may meet the Holy Father,” Bishop Lee said. “It will mark the first time in the history of World Youth Day that the event is held in a divided nation.”

He added that the committee hopes to collaborate with Buddhist communities to organize temple stays for visiting pilgrims if possible, as well as use the opportunity to introduce K-food to young people from around the world.

Father Joseph Young-jae Lee, the head of the WYD planning office, said registration for all programs will be free and open to everyone regardless of religion. “Any young person, Catholic or not, is welcome to take part in the event,” he said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAIK SUNG-HO [[email protected]]