'North Korea seeks to escape isolation by inviting Pope'

By Lee Min-hyung

Thae Yong-ho, former North Korean diplomat

With North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inviting Pope Francis to visit his regime, Pyongyang's failed attempts to invite a former pontiff are resurfacing here.

Last month, Kim shared his strong desire to ask the pope to visit the North in an inter-Korean summit with President Moon Jae-in. Kim said he would "ardently welcome the pope" if he accepted the offer, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

Moon also delivered Kim's willingness to invite to the pope to Pyongyang during their meeting in the Vatican, Thursday (local time). The pope said he would be willing to visit North Korea if an official invitation were made.

This is not the first time the North has sought to invite a pope, according to former North Korean diplomat-turned-defector Thae Yong-ho, the writer of the book, "Cryptography from the Third-Floor Secretariat," published in May.

"In 1991, North Korea's foreign ministry formed a special taskforce to invite the pope to Pyongyang," the former North Korean Deputy Ambassador to the United Kingdom said in the book.

The North rated then-Pope John Paul II highly, as he had received an enthusiastic welcome whenever he visited other countries, according to Thae.

North Korea, for this reason, believed the pope's possible visit to the regime would pave the way for it to escape from international diplomatic isolation, the former North Korean diplomat said.

But the plan ended in failure after then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il opposed the idea amid concerns that the visit could create a "Catholic boom" within the regime, Thae said in the book.

The taskforce was disbanded after operating for only about two months.

The second invitation came in 2000 when a historic inter-Korean summit took place between the second-generation North Korean dictator, who passed away in 2011, and his then-counterpart President Kim Dae-jung.

The late South Korean president suggested Kim invite the pope to visit. The plan appeared to turn into reality in the initial stages when the North sent an official invitation to the Vatican.

But the second attempt failed again, with the North stopping pushing ahead with the plan for unidentified internal reasons.

There is a good chance, however, for the new, young leader to succeed in inviting the pope this time as Kim Jong-un has carried out a series of surprise diplomatic missions unlike his predecessors. They include the historic first-ever summit between Washington and Pyongyang this June.

Starting this year, Kim has expressed a willingness for peace by realizing the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He has since met with President Moon three times to discuss ways to ease inter-Korean military tension.

Moon is also playing his role as a mediator between Kim and international society. The President's ongoing Europe visit is also centered on sending Kim's message for peace by building a nuclear-free peninsula.

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