Anchor: The current papal visit is the first to South Korea in 25 years since Pope Saint John Paul II last visited the country in 1989. Koreans hope Pope Francis's visit will go beyond religious boundaries and spur peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. Experts also note that the pope’s trip is expected to highlight the growing presence of Catholicism in Asia, while using Korea as a model case. 
Our Bae Joo-yon reports on the pope's plans in Korea.
 
Report: Pope Francis will officiate a Mass in Daejeon city on Friday when Korea's Independence Day and the holy day of the Assumption of Virgin Mary will coincide. 
 
After the service on his second day, the pope is scheduled to meet with families and friends of the victims of the Sewol ferry sinking. 
 
On Saturday, Pope Francis will beatify 124 Korean Catholic martyrs, including Paul Yun Ji-chung, during a Mass at the Gwanghwamun Plaza surrounded by old persecution sites in downtown Seoul.
 
The pope will travel to the venue in an open-topped car from Seoul City Hall to greet the faithful in a parade. Protective walls will be set up to enclose the venue stretching about a kilometer and a half from City Hall to Gwanghwamun Plaza. Some 170-thousand Christians will be inside the walls at the event and about 200-thousand spectators are expected to gather outside the protected area.
 
The altar for the beatification Mass will be installed at the northern end of Gwanghwamun Plaza with a statue of Virgin Mary dressed in a traditional Korean hanbok to be placed in front.
 
After the Mass, the pope will head to a facility for people with disabilities in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province.
 
For Sunday, Pope Francis will return to Daejeon to officiate a Mass at the Sixth Asian Youth Day.
 
Next Monday, on the last day of his trip, the pope will hold another Mass at Seoul's Myeongdong Cathedral, attended by elderly victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery. 
 
After giving a message of peace for the Korean Peninsula, the pope is expected to meet with sex slavery victims attending the service.
 
During his stay, Pope Francis will give speeches in English for the first time at four events, and is expected to respond to current social concerns, including materialism, that Korean and Asian young people face today.
 
As the papal visit to Korea is the pope’s third international trip, experts say the pope’s presence is a powerful symbol of the Vatican’s recognition that churches are growing prominently in Asia.

With Korea as the pope's first Asian choice, experts also say the trip is expected to highlight the prosperity of the country's Catholic Church as a model case. 
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.