President Moon Jae-in presents Pope Francis with a cross made out of barbwire from the Demilitarized Zone separating South and North Korea, during their meeting in Vatican City, Friday (local time). Courtesy of the Vatican

Washington, Pyongyang may wait to see next Seoul administration's move

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Moon Jae-in is making a pitch for his Korean Peninsula peace initiative during his meetings with the pope and global leaders, but he is facing a limit in drawing desirable responses, as those leaders and countries are not feeling the same sense of urgency as Moon, whose presidency will end in May next year, in tackling North Korea issues.

Moon met Pope Francis on Friday and asked him to visit North Korea to facilitate a peace mood in inter-Korean relations. The pope showed a positive response to the offer, saying he is willing to go if he receives an invitation from the North.

"Moon told the pope that his visit to North Korea will become a momentum for peace on the Korean Peninsula and Koreans are pinning high hopes on that," presidential spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said. "The pope responded that if he receives an invitation from the North, he will visit to help Koreans and for peace."

Despite the amicable rhetoric, Cheong Wa Dae did not elaborate whether Moon and the pope exchanged further details such as pre-communication between Seoul and Pyongyang on the potential papal visit or the North's intention to invite the worldwide leader of the Catholic Church.