South Korean President Moon Jae- in visited Pope Francis on 29 October. He presented the Pope with a barbed wire cross in the demilitarized zone that divided North and South Korea. The meeting was held just before the Pope’s meeting with US President Joe Biden. Moon invited the Pope to visit North Korea during the meeting at the Vatican. According to the South Korean Presidents’ Spokesperson, Park – Kyung-mee, the Pope responded that he would be willing to go if he received an official invitation from North Korea.
The Cross given to the Pope is one of the 136 crosses made from the melted-down barbed wire from the Demilitarized zone representing the 68 -years that the Korean peninsula has been divided. The South Korean President hopes that the crosses would be the symbol of peace.