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Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul (left) and newly appointed Seoul Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ko Beom-seok. The archbishop briefed the police chief on World Youth Day (WYD) Seoul 2027 and requested police cooperation. /Courtesy of the Archdiocese of Seoul

The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul announced Monday that Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung met with newly appointed Seoul Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ko Beom-seok at the archdiocesan headquarters on Nov. 6.

The archbishop congratulated Ko on his appointment.

"I was impressed by your remarks in your inaugural address in September, when you pledged to listen to even the smallest complaints and concerns from citizens and respond promptly and accurately," Chung said.

He then explained the purpose and scale of World Youth Day (WYD) Seoul 2027, scheduled for August next year.

"As this is an event of national significance, cooperation from public institutions, particularly the police, is absolutely essential," the archbishop emphasized. 

Ko responded that he had met with the Seoul Metropolitan Superintendent of Education, Venerable Jinwoo, President of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, all of whom had mentioned World Youth Day 2027.

He said they all recognized the importance of the event and hoped it would be successful.

"Not only the police but also other institutions and religious organizations are considering how they can support World Youth Day 2027, and considerable efforts are already underway," Ko said.

"The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has extensive experience managing large-scale events, and we will do our utmost to ensure that the event in August next year is held safely."

Father Jang Se-hoon of the Archdiocese of Seoul's Police Pastoral Committee, who also attended the meeting, expressed confidence in the police agency's ability to support the event.

"After seeing the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency successfully manage the BTS concert, the largest event since the commissioner's appointment, without any safety incidents, I felt that we could count on their strong support for next year's event," he said.

Jang also explained that the Police Pastoral Committee provides various counseling services and programs for police officers and their families, regardless of whether they are Catholic.

"We are working to create a positive influence, however small, in our respective roles, in the hope that these efforts will ultimately produce a much greater ripple effect," he said, asking for continued interest and support.

                                                                                                          Hwang Ui-joong