New Korean Audioguide Presented

Vatican City, July 29, 2025 – St. Peter’s Basilica welcomes a new resource for pilgrims: today the new Korean-language audioguide was officially presented, designed to welcome and spiritually accompany the faithful and visitors from South Korea.

The handover ceremony took place inside the Basilica in the presence of Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of the Basilica and General Vicar for Vatican City; Bishops Kyung Sang Lee and Kwang-Hee Choi of the Archdiocese of Seoul; and Jung-woo Lee, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Korea to the Holy See.

Cardinal Gambetti expressed his gratitude for the collaboration and the results achieved, emphasizing the importance of offering every pilgrim the tools to have a complete, personal, and spiritually meaningful visit. He also recalled the strong symbolic value of the statue of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean priest and martyr, located in one of the external niches of the Basilica, and addressed a message to the many young Koreans preparing for World Youth Day 2027, to be held in Seoul.

The audioguide project, developed jointly by the Embassy of Korea to the Holy See and the Archdiocese of Seoul, was made possible also thanks to the contribution of Korean actor Seung-won Cha, who generously lent his voice to the narration, and the support of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Seoul, H.E. Mons. Soon-taek Chung.

The audioguide will be available from early August and will guide Korean visitors through the monumental complex of St. Peter’s Basilica. This initiative is especially meaningful in view of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Catholic Church, currently underway, which will bring an increasing number of pilgrims from around the world to Rome, including a significant presence from South Korea.

St. Peter’s Basilica thus continues its mission of welcoming every visitor with care and attention, promoting intercultural dialogue and strengthening the bonds between the universal Church and communities across the globe.