Seoul's Jung-gu district has joined forces with the Seoul World Youth Day Organizing Committee to ensure the successful hosting of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day (WYD).
With about 1 million young people from around the world expected to visit Seoul next summer, the district is gearing up to welcome the global gathering.
Jung-gu signed a memorandum of understanding with the organizing committee on Aug. 13 for the successful hosting of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day. The signing ceremony, held at the district mayor's office, was attended by District Mayor Kim Gil-sung and Father Park Gwang-won (baptismal name: John the Baptist), vicar of the First Vicariate of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul, representing Organizing Committee Chairman Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick, along with other officials.
At the ceremony, Jung-gu, the organizing committee and the First Vicariate of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul pledged to pool their efforts in preparing for the event. Jung-gu will provide administrative support for the smooth running of the event, the organizing committee will oversee overall operations and build a cooperative framework, and the First Vicariate will support on-site operations and local coordination.
World Youth Day is a Catholic gathering where young people from around the world come together to share faith and culture and promote mutual understanding and peace. Seoul was selected as the 2027 host city at the closing Mass of the 2023 WYD in Lisbon, Portugal. It will be only the second time Asia has hosted the event, and the first since Manila, Philippines, in 1995 — a gap of 32 years. The 2027 Seoul World Youth Day will open with diocesan events from July 29 to Aug. 2 next year, followed by the main event from Aug. 3 to Aug. 8.
Jung-gu is expected to draw a steady stream of young visitors from around the world during the event. The district is home to sites of deep Catholic historical significance, including Myeongdong Cathedral and Seosomun Martyrs' Hill, as well as a concentration of Seoul's most iconic tourist destinations — Myeong-dong, Namsan, and Dongdaemun and Namdaemun markets.
Anticipating a large influx of young visitors, the district plans to establish support systems covering accommodation, tourism and safety. It will also actively cooperate in securing venues and managing on-site operations. The district intends to use the event not only as a major Catholic occasion but as an opportunity to showcase Jung-gu's appeal to young people from around the world.
"Jung-gu is the heart of Seoul and a place of great historical significance for Catholicism," said Father Park. "We are grateful that Jung-gu has stepped forward as a steadfast partner for World Youth Day."
"World Youth Day is a major Catholic event, but it is also an opportunity for young people from around the world to experience and spread the word about Jung-gu," District Mayor Kim said. "We will work closely with the organizing committee and the local community to ensure that young visitors can stay safely and comfortably, and remember Jung-gu as a place they want to come back to."
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