Pope Francis visits South Korea in first Asia trip Thursday Aug 14,2014

Pope Francis has landed in South Korea, beginning his first visit to Asia since he took over the papacy in March 2013.

President Park Geun-hye greeted the pontiff on his arrival in South Korea

 

During his trip, he will beatify Korean Catholics who died for their faith and attend a Catholic youth festival.
The South Korean Catholic Church is one of the fastest growing in the world, with just over 5.4 million members, some 10.4% of the population

The trip is the first visit by a pope to Asia in almost 20 years. Pope Francis is due to visit again in January when he travels to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, one of only two Asian countries with a Catholic majority - the other being East Timor.
Pope John Paul II was the last pope to visit South Korea in 1989, where he prayed for reunification between the North and the South.