Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In Chon (right) on Nov. 17 exchanges a handshake with Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, substitute for Vatican City's Secretariat of State, at the exhibition "Love and Peace for All" at Seosomun Shrine History Museum in Seoul's Jung-gu District to mark the 60th anniversary of Korea-Vatican ties.

By Wu Jinhua

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Dec. 10 said its Minister Yu In Chon on a visit to Italy will discuss cultural cooperation on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties with the Vatican.

On Dec. 11 in Rome, he will meet Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin at Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano and attend events to mark the diplomatic milestone.

The minister will thank the Vatican for hosting events in Italy to mark the anniversary and agree to maintain close friendship through continued cultural exchange.

At a celebratory event held at the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, Minister Yu will attend a special Mass and photo exhibition looking back 60 years of bilateral friendship and cooperation. The exhibition will display photos of Korea's first reception of a Vatican delegation, visits by the pope, blessing events in Vatican for the statue of St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821-46), Korea's first Catholic priest, and photos of the closing Mass at this year's World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, where Seoul was announced as the host of the event's 2027 edition. 

Since forming diplomatic relations in 1963, Korea and the Vatican have conducted brisk bilateral exchanges such as the 1984 and 1989 visits to Korea by Pope John Paul II and that in 2014 by Pope Francis. 

To mark the milestone, the Vatican Museums has published a Korean-language translation of its official directory. In Seoul's Jung-gu District, the exhibition "Love and Peace for All" will be held until Dec. 24 at Seosomun Shrine History Museum, an international pilgrimage site authorized by the Vatican.