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North Korea's Kim Jong-un invites Pope Francis to Pyongyang - Published North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has invited Pope Francis to visit the country, South Korea's presidential office has announced. The invitation to visit Pyongyang will be delivered by South Korean president Moon Jae-in who will be in the Vatican next week as part of a trip to Europe. No pope has ever visited North Korea, though the late Pope John Paul II was once invited. North Korea and the Vatican have no formal diplomatic relations. "During the meeting with Pope Francis, [Mr Moon] will relay the message from chairman Kim Jong-un that he would ardently welcome the Pope if he visits [the North Korean capital] Pyongyang," Mr Moon's spokesman, Kim Eui-kyeom, told reporters. The invitation is the latest reconciliatory gesture from North Korea. Mr Kim held an unprecedented summit with US President Donald Trump earlier this year and three inter-Korean summits also took place. In 2000, Kim Jong-un's father - Kim Jong-il - invited Pope John Paul II to visit North Korea after the pope was quoted as saying it would be "a miracle" if he could go there. That invitation came at a summit with the then South Korean President, Kim Dae-jung. The visit never happened. According to news wire the Associated Press, the Vatican insisted at the time that a visit from the pope would only happen if Catholic priests were accepted in North Korea. Does the North have religious freedom? North Korea's constitution promises a "right to faith" and state-controlled churches do exist. However, one human rights activist say this is all largely for show. "In reality, there is no freedom of religion," said Arnold Fang, a researcher from Amnesty International. A state-run Korean Catholic Association also exists but, similarly, has no ties with the Vatican. According to news wire AFP, KCA estimates there are 3,000 Catholics in the country, while the UN puts the number at around 800. North Korea also takes a dim view of foreign missionaries. Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American evangelist who ran Christian tours of North Korea, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in 2013 for "anti-government" crimes. He was released in 2014 on health grounds.
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‘उत्तर कोरियाबारे दक्षिणसँग मतभेद छैन’ अमेरिकी उपराष्ट्रपति माइक पेन्सले उत्तर कोरियालाई दवाब दिइरहनुपर्ने आवश्यकताबारे आफ्नो देश र दक्षिण कोरिया पूर्णतः सहमत रहेको बताएका छन्। दक्षिण कोरियामा शीतकालीन ओलिम्पिक्सको उद्घाटन समारोहमा सहभागी भएर स्वदेश फर्कने क्रममा बोल्दै उनले उक्त विषयमा दुई देशबीच 'कुनै मतभेद' नरहेको बताए। पारमाणविक कार्यक्रमसम्बन्धी तनावका बावजुद शीतकालीन ओलिम्पिक्सले दुई कोरियाबीचको सम्बन्धमा केही सुधार ल्याएको देखिन्छ। तर उत्तर कोरियाली प्रस्तावदेखि अमेरिकाले आफूलाई परै राखेको छ। प्रोत्साहित शनिवार उत्तर कोरियाली नेता किम जङ्-अनले दक्षिण कोरियाली राष्ट्रपति मून जे-इनलाई प्योङयाङ्मा वार्ताका लागि निम्तो दिएका थिए। भेट भएमा त्यो दुई कोरियाली नेताहरूबीच एक दशकभन्दा पनि लामो समयपछिको शिखरवार्ता हुनेछ। मूनले कोरियाली जनताले त्यसलाई 'सफल पार्न लगाउनुपर्ने' बताउँदै अमेरिकासँगको वार्तामा फर्कन उत्तर कोरियालाई प्रोत्साहित गरेका छन्। तर दुई देशलाई निकट ल्याउने प्रयासमा प्योङयाङ्को पारणाविक कार्यक्रम तगारो बन्नेछ। मतभेद अमेरिकी प्रशासन प्रतिबन्धहरू र राष्ट्रपति डोनल्ड ट्रम्पका कडा अभिव्यक्तिहरूमार्फत उत्तर कोरियामाथि दवाब कायम राख्न चाहन्छ। शनिवार स्वदेश फर्कनुअघि पत्रकारहरूसँग कुरा गर्दै उपराष्ट्रपति पेन्सले भने, "उत्तर कोरियाले आफ्ना पारमाणविक तथा क्षेप्यास्त्र कार्यक्रम नत्यागेसम्म उसलाई आर्थिक र कूटनीतिक रूपमा अलग्याउनुपर्ने आवश्यकताबारे अमेरिका, दक्षिण कोरिया र जापानबीच कुनै मतभेद रहेको छैन।" शीतकालीन ओलिम्पिक्स शनिवार शुरू भएपछि सोलस्थित राष्ट्रपतिको कार्यालयमा हस्तलिखित निमन्त्रणा पत्र किम जङ्-अनकी प्रभावशाली बहिनी किम यो-जङ्ले दक्षिण कोरियाली राष्ट्रपति मूनलाई थमाएकी थिइन्। दुई कोरियाबीच सन् १९५० दशकमा युद्ध भएपश्चात् उत्तर कोरियाका आलङ्कारिक राष्ट्राध्यक्ष किम यङ्-नामले पहिलो वरिष्ठ व्यक्तिको रूपमा दक्षिण कोरियाको भ्रमण गरेका हुन्।