The pope may visit North Korea in 2019, and the Vatican has begun working-level efforts to establish a point of contact with Pyongyang, a Korean news agency reported Sunday.

Citing a Vatican official who requested anonymity, Yonhap News Agency reported that the Vatican has not ruled out a visit to Pyongyang by Pope Francis in the coming year. 

“To my knowledge, the Vatican is trying to make a point of contact with North Korea with the possibility of the pope’s visit in mind,” the news agency quoted the official as saying.

The possibility of Pope Francis visiting North Korea was raised during his meeting with President Moon Jae-in in October. At the time, Moon conveyed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s wish to host the pope, to which the pontiff reportedly said that he was open to such a visit and that the Vatican would respond to Pyongyang if an official invitation is made.

According to the report, the official also cast doubt on recent news reports claiming that the pope is unlikely to make the visit in 2019, and that the Vatican’s position has not changed on the matter.

On Saturday, Voice of America reported that the pope is unlikely to visit North Korea in 2019, citing a busy schedule. In the report, an unnamed Vatican source claimed that the pope has too many overseas trips scheduled for next year, all of which are “easier than North Korea” to arrange.

At present, the Vatican has confirmed trips to Panama, United Arab Emirates, and Morocco. In addition to the confirmed trips, a number of countries including Bulgaria, Madagascar, Mozambique and Japan are said to be among possible destinations.

The Vatican official quoted in the Yonhap News Agency report, however, said that the lack of confirmed plans cannot be taken as North Korea being ruled out.

The official was also quoted as saying that the Vatican’s position on the issue is as Pietro Parolin, the pope’s secretary of state, stated immediately after the meeting between Moon and the pope.

At the time, Pietro Parolin stated that the Vatican would wait until an official invitation is extended by North Korea before any decisions are made.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)