Preparations for World Youth Day Seoul are well under way, with South Korea preparing to welcome half a million young Catholics in 2027, said Archbishop…. South Korea will be the first non-Christian-majority country to host the global gathering, which will welcome Pope Leo XIV. The main event, known as ‘World Youth Day week’, will run from 3 to 8 August, with organisers expecting more than 400,000 international pilgrims from about 190 countries.