S. Korean president to visit Pope Benedict Thursday

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will meet with
Pope Benedict XVI this week during his trip to Italy for the annual summit of G-8
industrialized countries, an official at Seoul's presidential office, Cheong Wa
Dae, said Sunday.
"The president plans to visit the Pope on July 9," the official said.
The South Korean president will arrive in Rome on Wednesday following a two-day
trip to Poland. He will be the third South Korean president to visit the Pope in
Vatican City, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials.
Lee and Pope Benedict are expected to discuss ways to strengthen ties between
South Korea's Catholic Church and the Vatican, as well as ways to help improve
the dismal human rights conditions in North Korea, they said.
The South Korean president will leave Italy Saturday for Sweden, where he will
make the last stop in his three-nation trip.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)