Chungcheongbuk-do and the Catholic Dioceses of Cheongju and Wonju have formed the ‘2027 World Youth Day (WYD) Support Consultative Body’ to operate a successful ‘Local Diocese Event’ for the 2027 World Youth Day (WYD) and are officially launching its operation.

During the ‘Local Diocese Event,’ which will be held for 5 days from July 29 to August 2, 2027, approximately 5,000 to 8,000 domestic and international young pilgrims are expected to visit areas throughout North Chungcheong Province, including Cheongju. ※ July 29 – Aug. 2: Local Diocese Event / Aug. 3 – Aug. 8: Main Event (Seoul and Gyeonggi Province)

The consultative body is co-chaired by the Director-General of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of Chungcheongbuk-do and the Chairperson of the Catholic Cheongju Diocese WYD Organizing Committee. It consists of about 30 members, including relevant departments of Chungcheongbuk-do, the Catholic Wonju Diocese, local municipalities, the Chungbuk Culture and Arts Foundation, the Chungbuk Institute of History and Culture, the Fire Headquarters, and the Chungcheongbuk-do Volunteer Center. Its operational period runs from August 2026 until the conclusion of the event.

Under the goal of 「Realizing global cultural exchange where youth of the world meet, walk, and share together in Chungbuk」, the consultative body has set five major promotion directions.

Key contents include ▲ ‘Safe WYD’, establishing an on-site response system for safety, transportation, and medical care; ▲ ‘Chungbuk Walked Together’, linking pilgrimage routes (Oeuril-gil) with tourism resources; ▲ ‘Chungbuk Notified to the World’, promoting the historical and cultural values of the province; ▲ ‘Chungbuk Shared by Youth’, expanding exchanges between local and overseas youth; and ▲ ‘Synergy of Two International Events’, linking publicity and culture with the 2027 Chungcheong Summer World University Games (Universiade), which will be held around the same time.

In particular, on July 30, 2027, when a large number of people gather, the religious peace program ‘Chungbuk Oeuril-gil’ will be operated to support pilgrims in transcending religion and borders to walk the path of peace where they become one, experiencing deep resonance and healing.

In addition, in preparation for the Cheongju Diocese mass and arts events, a detailed on-site support system will be operated centered around Cheongju City, including on-site safety management, operation of the Cheongju City Tour, and emergency medical and sanitation management.

Choi Seung-hwan, Director-General of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of Chungcheongbuk-do, stated, “Taking lessons from past large-scale international event operations, we will focus on preemptively blocking all possible risk factors,” and added, “We will closely cooperate with related organizations so that youth from all over the world can safely experience Chungbuk’s beautiful nature and culture, and use this as an opportunity for Chungbuk to leap forward as a global cultural center in connection with the Chungcheong Universiade.”

Chungcheongbuk-do plans to discover detailed support projects for each organization in the future and meticulously prepare through regular working-level meetings to materialize pilgrimage courses and develop multilingual guide contents without a hitch.

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