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.
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 and Snoop 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.