President Yoon Suk Yeol sent a letter to Pope Francis on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Vatican City, expressing his hope to deepen the friendly and cooperative partnership, his office said Sunday.

Yoon sent the letter via Kang Seung-kyoo, senior presidential secretary for civil society, who has been visiting the city-state as a special presidential envoy.

During a meeting with the pope on Saturday, Kang conveyed Yoon's wish to further deepen the friendly and cooperative relationship the two countries have built over the past 60 years, the presidential office said in a press release.

In his letter, Yoon thanked the pope for taking an interest in and enabling the dedication of a sculpture of Korea's first Catholic priest, St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon (1821-1846), at St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday.

Kang also thanked the pope for choosing Seoul as the host of the 2027 World Youth Day, a global Catholic Church event, and pledged the government's active support for its success.

Kang further thanked the Vatican for being the first to send a diplomatic envoy to South Korea following its liberation from Japanese colonial rule and for helping the South Korean government win the UN General Assembly's recognition as a legitimate government in 1948. (Yonhap)