Kim Yu-na 'Wants to Tell Pope About Special Korean Bond'

Published on 2014/08/17 | Source

Figure skating star Kim Yu-na has told the Vatican newspaper she would like to talk to the pope about the Korean word "jeong", meaning "human affection, a connection between people".

The concept is often said to describe a special bond that exists between Koreans.

"It becomes essentially obvious in special circumstances. For example we saw it after the accident of the Sewol ferry which caused the death of a large number of young students", she told the L'Osservatore Romano.

It "was particularly visible was during the economic crisis of 1997, when 3.5 million Koreans donated hundreds of tons of gold to the country in order to halt the crisis".

Kim said the she was introduced to Catholicism in 2006 when she met a Catholic doctor at a hospital where she was getting her injury treated. She was baptized into the faith taking the name Stella in 2008.

No meeting with pope has been scheduled.