This story is free to read.

Pope makes first South Korean visit in 25 years

Workers set up a platform in prepare for a special holy mass by Pope Francis in front of the Gwanghwamun, the main gate of the 14th-century Gyeongbok Palace, in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014. Pope Francis is scheduled to make a five-day trip to South Korea, starting Aug. 14 to participate in a Catholic youth festival and to preside over a beatification ceremony for 124 Korean martyrs. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) Workers set up a platform in prepare for a special holy mass by Pope Francis in front of the Gwanghwamun, the main gate of the 14th-century Gyeongbok Palace, in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014. Pope Francis is scheduled to make a five-day trip to South Korea, starting Aug. 14 to participate in a Catholic youth festival and to preside over a beatification ceremony for 124 Korean martyrs. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

By Associated Press August 13, 2014 1 min read

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Pope Francis has arrived in South Korea on a visit meant to beatify 124 Korean martyrs and encourage the faithful in a church seen as a model for the future of Catholicism.

Francis’ plane touched down Thursday in the first papal visit to South Korea in a quarter century. President Park Geun-hye and other officials waited by a red carpet to greet the pope.

A highlight of the pope’s five-day visit will be his participation in a Catholic youth festival. He’ll also celebrate a Mass for peace on the war-divided Korean Peninsula.

The pope is also expected to meet with family members of victims of a South Korean ferry tragedy.