South Koreans Flock To See Pope Francis Mass

An estimated one million people have gathered to watch Pope Francis deliver a mass in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

During the service, the Pontiff beatified 124 people who died for their beliefs during the early days of Roman Catholicism in the country.

More than 30,000 police have been deployed for his five-day visit, including snipers on rooftops.

Aerial video footage showed a kilometre-long line of people cramming a route due to be taken by the 'Popemobile'.

Up to a million people lined the route taken by the Pope

Some had arrived up to seven hours before the event and most of the worshippers were in place with three hours to go.

The people beatified were among those who attempted to spread the religion in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were killed when they came up against resistance from the Joseon Dynasty, which opposed Western influences.

The streets leading up to Seoul's iconic Gwanghwamun Gate were packed with onlookers who had turned out to honour the founders of the Korean church.

The Pope is in the country for five days

Police declined to put a number on the size of the crowd but local media said it topped one million.

A cheer went up from those assembled when Pope Francis declared the 124 "blessed" - setting them on their way towards possible sainthood. The primary message from his lesson was that of reconciliation.

The beatification mass was taking place on the third day of his visit to South Korea.

The Pope blessed 124 Korean martyrs

It is his first tour to Asia since he became pope in March 2013.

Beatification is the first stage that a person undergoes before they can progress to being made a saint.

Local priests also took part in the mass

On Friday, the Pope had a private meeting with some of the survivors of the Sewol ferry disaster and the families of those who died.

He also gave a mass in their memory at a football stadium in Daejeon, attended by tens of thousands of people.

It is the first visit to South Korea by a pope for 25 years. More than five million of the country's inhabitants - around 10% - are members of the Roman Catholic faith.

Earlier, North Korea had test fired five short range missiles.

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