Ruling and opposition camps have welcomed Pope Francis’s trip to South Korea, expressing hope that his visit will console the people and lay the groundwork for compromise on the Korean Peninsula.
 
Saenuri Party spokeswoman Kwon Eun-hee told reporters on Thursday that the ruling party hopes that all Korean people will closely heed the pope’s teachings on harmony and obtain peace of mind. She noted that the pope is scheduled to meet with families of the Sewol ferry victims during his visit and with victims of Japan’s wartime sex slavery.
 
Senior spokesman Yoo Ki-hong for the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy also told reporters that his party hopes South Koreans will be consoled by seeing the pope embracing people’s pain and sadness.
 
He added that there is a need to deeply consider the pope’s teachings with a self-reflecting attitude at a time when efforts to shed light on the Sewol ferry sinking are at a stalemate.