Call Him The K-Pope! Korean Stars Celebrate Pope Francis’ Visit With A Tribute Song & Video

Call Him The K-Pope! Korean Stars Celebrate Pope Francis’ Visit With A Tribute Song & Video

What could bring together the biggest names in the Korean pop industry? A visit by the Pope will do it. As Pope Francis tours South Korea through August 18, some 20 Korean household names got together to record a video for a song titled"Koinonia," which means camaraderie and communion in Greek. It was
composed by K-pop veteran, Noh Young-shim to celebrate the first papal visit to Korea in 25 years.


Some 5.4 million Koreans are Catholics roughly 10% of the population and amongst them are pop stars and actors. Skating star, Kim Yuna is also a follower of the faith and one of the celebs expected to appear at official functions during the Pope's visit. During a recent TV appearance, she had appealed to the Pope to bless Korea and"provide messages of hope." Unfortunately for fans, she does not appear in the new music video.
코이노니아 ( koinonia : 친교) - 우리 모두 선물이 된다

Despite involving some serious pop star power, the video for "Koinonia" is devoid of the typical trappings of a K-pop music video. There's no tightly choreographed dancing or thematic costumes. Instead, director Cha Eun-taek has the famous faces hidden behind sheet music, huddled together like a devout church choir. It's a far cry from Cha's previous work, such as the "Hangover" video starring Psy andSnoop Dogg.

"When I called everyone they were extremely happy to be part of the music video, and those who could not make it were extremely regretful," said veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki, who helped organize the project.
Ahn has been at the forefront of several cultural projects that support religious causes, such as narrating a biopic about the life of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, the country's first Catholic cardinal and a much respected figure amongst religious and secular groups.