The archbishop of Seoul, Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, has been named a cardinal by Pope Francis.

The pope read the list of 19 new cardinals on Sunday, local time, right after the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City.

Among the prelates, Yeom and 15 others are younger than 80 years old and eligible to elect the next pope in the papal conclave. The new voting cardinals are from 12 countries including South Korea, Italy and the UK. 

The pontiff is expected to officially appoint his choices at a consistory on February 22nd, marking his first appointment of cardinals since he became pope in March last year. 

The seventy-one-year old Yeom will be Korea's third cardinal after the late Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan and Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk. Yeom succeeded Cheong in 2012.