Why are there so many Koreans on the Camino de Santiago?: The Camino de Santiago has experienced a curious and increasingly notable phenomenon in recent years: the growing presence of South Korean pilgrims. Their accents are frequently heard in hostels, trails and squares, placing South Korea among the countries with the highest number of walkers, often surpassing European powers and only behind the United States. In 2023, the Pilgrim's Office recorded the arrival of more than 9,300 Koreans to Santiago. What drives this pilgrimage from the other side of the world to Galicia?
The answer is an interesting mix of spirituality, pop culture influence and a significant dose of cultural diplomacy. First of all, it is important to remember that South Korea is home to one of the largest Catholic communities in Asia. Although only around 10% of the population identifies with this faith, its symbolic weight is strong, and the Camino is experienced as a deeply emotional pilgrimage. Some dioceses even organize group trips as part of the personal and religious formation of their members.
Beyond faith, the high level of academic and work stress in South Korea drives many to see the Camino as an escape, a parenthesis to disconnect, reflect and, sometimes, reorient their lives. For students and young adults, completing the Pathway can be a crucial period of introspection before making important decisions about their professional or academic future. This is one of the reasons why many Koreans choose the winter months, taking advantage of school and university holidays, to make this journey.
Faith is not the only driving force. The publication in 2006 of the book "The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago" by writer Kim Nam Hee also instilled curiosity about the route in many Korean readers. Later, in 2014, the broadcast of the television series “Buen Camino”, which followed the experiences of a group of Korean pilgrims traveling the French Way, transformed a niche documentary into a true cultural phenomenon.
Interest intensified further in 2018 with the series “Shall We Walk Together,” starring the popular K-pop group “God,” which documented its members’ journey along the Camino de Santiago, generating even greater enthusiasm for the route among South Koreans. A milestone on the Camino de Santiago was even inaugurated on the island of Jeju, symbolizing the cultural ties between both regions.
Since then, the Camino has evolved for many Koreans, from being solely a religious proposal to becoming a personal searching experience. In a country where work and academic demands are high and stress is a common companion, walking hundreds of kilometers through the north of Spain, far from pressures and screens, is perceived almost as a spiritual luxury.
This growing interest also has an institutional component. Korean enthusiasm for the Camino has received diplomatic attention, with the signing of cultural agreements, the creation of Jacobean centers in Seoul and even the development of a symbolic pilgrimage route within Korea for those who cannot yet travel. Aware of this fervor, various routes along the Camino have adapted their infrastructure, signage and information materials to facilitate the experience of these faithful and silent pilgrims.
Thus, with their backpacks, walking sticks and shells, Korean pilgrims continue to arrive in Santiago. Some moved by faith, others by cultural influence, and many by the need to find silence and rediscover themselves. But upon reaching Praza do Obradoiro, the emotion they feel is universal, demonstrating that the Camino, in its essence, belongs to everyone and transcends language barriers.
