National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik has delivered a letter to the Vatican asking Pope Leo XIV to visit North Korea to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Woo gave the letter to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, during his visit to the Holy See on Tuesday, local time.

In his meeting with the cardinal, Woo said a papal visit coinciding with Seoul's World Youth Day in August 2027 would hold great significance for world and inter-Korean peace.

Woo said up to one million young people from around the globe will gather in the South Korean capital for the Catholic World Youth Day to share the values of peace and solidarity.

“We hope this event will mark a new turning point for peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Woo said, adding that the Vatican is among the most important diplomatic and spiritual partners in South Korea's peace efforts.

Parolin said the suspension of inter-Korean dialogue and strained cross-border ties are regrettable and sympathized with the South Korean government’s attempts to reopen communication.

"The Vatican fully supports the South Korean government and parliament's efforts to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula," he said.

Parolin told Woo that he would deliver the letter to the pope and voiced hope for a new era of reconciliation and peace.

Woo is currently on a 10-day trip across Portugal, Italy and Spain.