SEOUL—Pope Francis arrived in South Korea on Thursday for his first trip to Asia as pontiff, kicking off a five-day visit that will showcase the Vatican's efforts to spread the faith on a continent where just 3% of the population is Catholic. 
 
 The opening day of the visit—Pope Francis' third abroad and the first papal trip to Asia since St. John Paul II went to India in 1999—included meetings with bishops and South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who said the pontiff's decision to make the trip demonstrated his special... ||||| SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Pope Francis called Thursday for renewed efforts to forge peace on the war-divided Korean Peninsula and for both sides to avoid "fruitless" criticisms and shows of force, opening a five-day visit to South Korea with a message of reconciliation as Seoul's rival, North Korea, fired five projectiles into the sea. 
 
 Pope Francis waves from a car after his arrival in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. As Francis became the first pope in 25 years to visit South Korea on Thursday, Seoul's never-timid rival,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pope Francis, center, receives flowers from children in traditional dress as South Korean President Park Geun-hye, left, looks on upon his arrival at Seoul Military Airport in Seongnam, South Korea, Thursday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pope Francis poses with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, for photographers at the presidential Blue House in Seoul Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. Pope Francis became the first pontiff in 25 years to visit... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pope Francis, left, and South Korean President Park Geun-hye inspect honor guard upon his arrival at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. Pope Francis has arrived in South... (Associated Press) 
 
 South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, right, talks with Pope Francis at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. Pope Francis became the first pontiff in 25 years to visit South... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pope Francis, center, is escorted by South Korean President Park Geun-hye, left, upon his arrival at Seoul Military Airport in Seongnam, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. As Francis became the first... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pope Francis is welcomed by a 21-gun salute upon his arrival in Seoul, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. The Pontiff arrived in South Korea on the first papal visit to the Asian nation in a quarter century, stepping... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pope Francis walks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye upon his arrival in Seoul, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. The Pontiff arrived in South Korea on the first papal visit to the Asian nation in a quarter... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pope Francis waves upon his arrival at Seoul Air Base as South Korean President Park Geun-hye, left, smiles in Seongnam, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014. Pope Francis arrived here on a visit meant... (Associated Press) 
 
 North Korea has a long history of making sure it is not forgotten during high-profile events in the South, and Thursday's apparent test firing off its eastern coast made its presence felt. 
 
 In the first speech of his first trip to Asia, Francis told South Korean President Park Geun-hye and government officials that peace required forgiveness, cooperation and mutual respect. He said diplomacy must be encouraged so that listening and dialogue replace "mutual recriminations, fruitless criticisms and displays of force." 
 
 The Argentine pope spoke in English, the first English speech of his pontificate. Usually he speaks in Italian or his native Spanish, but the Vatican said he would deliver at least four speeches in English on the trip to accommodate his Asian audiences. 
 
 North Korea's apparent test firing was conducted from Wonsan on its east coast and the initial three short-range projectiles flew about 220 kilometers (135 miles), according to a South Korean Defense Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office rules. It wasn't immediately clear what the projectiles were. After an initial three firings an hour before Francis arrived, North Korea followed up with two others a short time after he landed. 
 
 North Korea has conducted an unusually large number of short-range missile and artillery test firings this year. It has expressed anger over annual military drills between the United States and South Korea, which it says are invasion preparations. A new round of drills, which Seoul and Washington call routine and defensive, are expected to start in coming days. 
 
 Neither Francis nor Park referred to the firings in their public remarks. 
 
 Organizers of the pope's trip had invited a delegation of North Korean Catholics to attend his Aug. 18 Mass for peace and reconciliation at Seoul's main cathedral. But late last month, North Korean authorities told the organizers that they wouldn't participate for various reasons, a Vatican spokesman said. 
 
 North Korea's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but in practice only sanctioned services are tolerated by the government. The U.S. State Department says North Korea permits no religious freedom at all. Currently, there are no Vatican-sanctioned institutions or resident priests operating in North Korea. 
 
 As he arrived at an airport just south of Seoul on the first papal visit in a quarter century, the pope shook hands with four relatives of victims of a South Korean ferry sinking that killed more than 300 and two descendants of Korean martyrs who died rather than renounce their faith. Francis plans to beatify 124 Korean martyrs who founded the church on the peninsula in the 18th century, hoping to give South Korea's vibrant and growing church new models for holiness and evangelization. 
 
 Some elderly Catholics wiped tears from their faces, bowing deeply as they greeted the pope on the tarmac. A boy and girl in traditional Korean dress presented Francis with a bouquet of flowers, and he bowed in return. The pope then stepped into a small, black, locally made car for the trip into Seoul where the official welcome ceremony and speeches took place. 
 
 Park, the South Korean president, said she hoped the pope's presence would heal the Korean Peninsula's "long wounds of division," referring to the 1950-53 Korean War, which continues to divide the Koreas along the world's most heavily guarded border. 
 
 "Division has been a big scar for all Koreans," she said. 
 
 Francis sought to encourage the pursuit of peace. 
 
 "Korea's quest for peace is a cause close to our hearts, for it affects the stability of the entire area and indeed of our whole war-weary world," he said. "May all of us dedicate these days to peace: to praying for it and deepening our resolve to achieve it." 
 
 As his plane flew through Chinese airspace early Thursday, Francis sent a telegram of greetings and prayers to Chinese President Xi Jinping. It was a rare opportunity for an exchange since the Holy See and Beijing have no diplomatic relations, and furthers a low-key push for better ties with China and efforts to heal a rift between the Chinese authorities and those Catholics who worship outside the state-recognized church. 
 
 Other highlights of Francis' visit include his participation in a Catholic festival for young believers from around Asia. The pope is also expected to meet with some families of the South Korean ferry sinking in April. The government's response to the disaster, which killed mostly high school students, has angered many South Koreans. 
 
 Park said she hoped the pope's visit would heal the pain many South Koreans are feeling because of the sinking and the recent deaths of young soldiers. 
 
 "A lot of bad things keep happening in our country right now, and people are going through tough times," said Ryun Sun-hee, a 19-year-old college student. "So I hope this event can encourage people and bring more positive things to our country." 
 
 It's the first papal visit since Pope John Paul II traveled to South Korea in 1989. In January, Francis plans to visit Sri Lanka and the Philippines. 
 
 South Korea's church, which has been growing steadily over the last half century, is seen as a model for the future. Local church officials hope for a continuing increase in believers in a country that once welcomed missionaries to help spread the faith but now sends its own priests and nuns abroad to evangelize in other countries. 
 
 Park credited Catholics in South Korea with playing a big part in making the country what it has become: South Korea has risen from poverty, war and dictatorship into Asia's fourth biggest economy. She called the Korean martyrs "pioneers who spread freedom and equality," and said their sacrifice helped develop Korean society. 
 
 There was high anticipation in South Korea ahead of the visit. Banners and posters welcoming the pope decorated streets and subway stations. The Yonhap news agency reported an increase in sales of rosaries and other Catholic goods, and special displays of books on the pope and Catholicism sprung up in book stores. 
 
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 Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this story. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Pope Francis: "Korea's quest for peace is a cause close to our hearts" 
 
 Pope Francis urged dialogue between the two Koreas instead of "displays of force" at the start of his five-day visit to South Korea. 
 
 The Pope's call for peace came hours after North Korea fired short-range rockets around the time of his arrival. 
 
 It is his first visit to Asia since he became pope in March 2013. 
 
 Pope Francis will beatify Korean Catholics who died for their faith, attend a Catholic youth festival and conduct a "reconciliation" mass. 
 
 In a speech addressed to South Korean President Park Geun-hye and senior officials, the Pope said reconciliation on the Korean peninsula had implications for "the stability of the entire area and indeed of the whole war-weary world". 
 
 "Diplomacy... is based on the firm and persevering conviction that peace can be won through quiet listening and dialogue, rather than by mutual recriminations, fruitless criticisms and displays of force," he said. 
 
 He also called on Koreans to set an example for future generations. "I think it is especially important for us to reflect on the need to give our young people the gift of peace," he said. 
 
 Earlier in the day, North Korea fired three rockets off its east coast as the Pope's plane approached South Korean airspace. It fired another two in the afternoon. 
 
 Pyongyang has engaged in several such launches in recent months in what it says is a response to US and South Korean provocations - in the latest case, a military drill due to start on Monday. 
 
 No North Koreans 
 
 The Pope is spending five days in South Korea, where the Catholic Church is growing. It currently has just over 5.4 million members, some 10.4% of the population. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption President Park Geun-hye greeted the pontiff on his arrival in South Korea 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption Preparations are under way at Gwanghwamun Square for the papal mass 
 
 Pope Francis will pay tribute to some of South Korea's first Catholics when he beatifies 124 Koreans who died in the 18th and 19th Centuries. After an individual is beatified, he or she is given the title "blessed". 
 
 The ceremony will be held on Saturday at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, with up to one million people expected to attend. 
 
 The pontiff is also attending Asian Youth Day, a festival for young Catholics from across the region, and will meet students who survived the Sewol ferry disaster. 
 
 On the last day of his visit, on Monday, the Pope plans to hold a "reconciliation" mass in the Myeong-dong cathedral in Seoul. 
 
 He will deliver a message of peace for the divided Koreas and East Asia, according to Yonhap News Agency. 
 
 North Korea rejected an invitation by the Archdiocese of Seoul for 10 North Korean Catholics to attend the final mass, South Korean officials say. 
 
 It is not clear how many Catholics there are in North Korea. A UN Human Rights Council report released in February 2014 said that apart from the few organised state-controlled churches, Christians were prohibited from practising their religion and were persecuted. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rupert Wingfield-Hayes: "South Korea is a huge success story for the Catholic Church" 
 
 Pope Francis is due to visit Asia again in January when he travels to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, one of only two Asian countries with a Catholic majority - the other being East Timor. 
 
 Pope John Paul II was the last pope to visit South Korea in 1989, where he prayed for reunification between the North and the South. 
 
 Beijing detente? 
 
 Meanwhile, on his way to South Korea the Pope also sent a telegram to China's leaders, a tradition when the pontiff flies over a country. 
 
 "I extend best wishes to your Excellency and your fellow citizens, and I invoke the divine blessings of peace and wellbeing on the nation," he said. 
 
 In response, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told AFP news agency that "China all along has retained sincerity towards improving China-Vatican relations." 
 
 She added that China was "willing to continue making efforts with the Vatican to advance constructive dialogue and promote the process of improving bilateral relations". 
 
 The Vatican has no official ties with Beijing. The last time a pope visited the region, he had to avoid Chinese air space. 
 
 But in what a Church spokesman has called "a sign of detente", the papal plane was given permission to use Chinese air space. 
 
 More than 100 Chinese people were due to attend Asian Youth Day, but about half were unable to attend due to "a complicated situation inside China", said a spokesman for a committee organising the Pope's visit.
– South Korea welcomed Pope Francis today with flowers and a red carpet, as the pontiff kicked off a five-day visit in which he called for peace on the divided peninsula. North Korea, on the other hand, shot off rockets. Pyongyang fired five short-range projectiles off its east coast, including three around the time of the pope's arrival—though none endangered his plane, the Wall Street Journal reports. On his first Asian tour since becoming pope, Francis also marked another first: He made a speech in English, the AP notes. "Quiet listening and dialogue" must replace "mutual recriminations, fruitless criticisms, and displays of force," he said. Though 10 North Korean Catholics were invited to attend Pope Francis' upcoming "reconciliation" mass in Seoul on Monday, the invitation was declined, officials say. Then again, a UN Human Rights Council report this year said Christians "were prohibited from practicing their religion and were persecuted," the BBC notes. The Vatican didn't extend an olive branch only to North Korea, however. In what the Church called "a sign of detente" with Beijing, Francis was allowed to fly through Chinese airspace on his way to South Korea and sent a telegram of prayers to President Xi Jinping as he did so.