Catholic Pilgrimage Sites in Jeju: A Local Guide for WYD 2027 Pilgrims (St. Isidore, Yongsu, Daejeong and More)
World Youth Day comes to Korea in 2027, and Jeju is one of the dioceses hosting the Days in the Diocese, from 29 July to 2 August 2027, with around 2,000 pilgrims expected on the island. Most of Jeju's Catholic sites are on the west side, where I live, and they tell a story few visitors know: an exiled noblewoman, a storm-blown boat carrying Korea's first priest, and an Irish missionary who changed the island's farming. This guide covers what happened at each site, how to visit and how to fit them into a day. Opening hours and Mass times change, so check before you go. Last checked 1 November 2026.
Quick answer: The essential Catholic sites in Jeju are St. Isidore Ranch and the Saemi Hill of Grace (Hallim, the centre of the 2027 Days in the Diocese), Yongsu Shrine (where St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon's boat came ashore in 1845), Daejeong Shrine (the tomb of Jeong Nan-ju Maria), Hwangsapyeong (resting place of the victims of 1901) and the Jungang Cathedral in Jeju City.
The first three are all on the west side and fit into one day by car. All five are free to enter. If you want to walk, the Jeju Catholic Pilgrimage Trail links the sites in six routes of about 90 km in total, with a stamp book.
Why Jeju matters to Korean Catholics
Catholicism reached Korea in the late 1700s and was persecuted for most of the following century. Jeju, as a place of exile, ended up with a part in that story:
- 1801: Jeong Nan-ju, widow of an executed Catholic, is exiled to Jeju as a government slave.
- 1845: a storm drives the boat carrying Korea's first Catholic priest, Andrew Kim Tae-gon, onto Jeju's west coast.
- 1867: Kim Gi-ryang, the first Jeju islander to be baptised, dies a martyr.
- 1901: an island uprising leaves several hundred people dead, most of them Catholics.
- 1954: an Irish missionary, Fr. Patrick James McGlinchey, arrives and starts the farm that became St. Isidore Ranch.
The sites at a glance
St. Isidore Ranch and Saemi Hill of Grace · Hallim, inland west · allow 1.5–2 hours
Yongsu Shrine · Hangyeong, west coast · 45 minutes · memorial hall closed Mondays
Daejeong Shrine (Jeong Nan-ju Maria) · Daejeong, south-west · 30 minutes
Hwangsapyeong Shrine · Jeju City, east side · 30 minutes
Jungang Cathedral · Jeju City old town · 20 minutes, longer for Mass
Kim Gi-ryang Martyrdom Memorial · Hamdeok, north-east · 30 minutes
1. St. Isidore Ranch and the Saemi Hill of Grace (Hallim)
Address: 53 Sallongnam-ro, Hallim-eup, Jeju-si (ranch) · Saemi Hill of Grace: 15 Saemiso-gil, Hallim-eup
Open: the grounds are open every day and free; come in daylight. The St. Isidore Center exhibition has been listed at 08:30–16:50.
Café: Uyubudan, the ranch's milk and ice cream café, listed at 10:00–18:00 · free parking
Fr. Patrick James McGlinchey, an Irish priest of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, came to Jeju in 1954, when the island was very poor. Islanders knew him by his Korean name, Im Pi-je, and as "the pig priest": he bought rough land in the hills, started raising pigs, and in 1961 that farm became St. Isidore Ranch, named after the Spanish patron saint of farmers. He is credited with helping build Jeju's livestock farming, and he worked for the island's poor for the rest of his life. He died in Jeju on 23 April 2018, aged 90.
What to see:
- Saemi Hill of Grace: a garden behind the ranch with sculptures of twelve scenes from the life of Jesus, the Stations of the Cross, a pond and a statue of Mary. The diocese blessed it in May 2009. This is the place for quiet prayer.
- The Tesiphon: curved, arched farm buildings made with a construction method from Iraq, now one of Jeju's best-known photo spots.
- St. Isidore Center: an exhibition on Fr. McGlinchey's life and work.
- Uyubudan café: soft-serve and milk from the ranch, and horses grazing in the fields around it.
The WYD connection: the Diocese of Jeju held its pre-WYD youth gathering at St. Isidore Church in July 2026, and the St. Isidore area is the centre of the 2027 Days in the Diocese programme.
Getting there: the ranch is up in the hills of Hallim, about 40 minutes' drive from the airport. Buses are infrequent, so most visitors come by car or taxi; my driving guide covers renting as a foreigner.
2. Yongsu Shrine: where St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon came ashore (Hangyeong)
Address: 108 Yongsu 1-gil, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju-si
Open: memorial hall 09:00–18:00, closed Mondays (the church stays open) · free · parking available
Phone: +82 64-772-1252
Mass: times differ between listings; check with the shrine before you plan around one.
Andrew Kim Tae-gon (1821–1846) was the first Korean to be ordained a Catholic priest, in Shanghai on 17 August 1845. Two weeks later he set out for Korea on a small boat, the Raphael, with Bishop Jean-Joseph Ferréol, Fr. Antoine Daveluy and eleven Korean Catholics. A storm drove them off course, and on 28 September 1845 they came ashore at Yongsu on Jeju's west coast. After a few days of repairs they sailed on to the mainland. Kim was martyred the following year at 25 and was canonised in 1984.
The shrine has a memorial church whose shape recalls the Raphael, a memorial hall telling the story, and a full-size replica of the boat on the lawn. The church is open to visitors outside Mass times.
Nearby: Suwolbong, a coastal geopark with layered volcanic cliffs (photo above), is a few kilometres south and makes a good short walk after the shrine.
3. Daejeong Shrine: the tomb of Jeong Nan-ju Maria
Address: 102 Chusa-ro 247beon-gil, Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo-si
Open-air tomb and memorial grounds · free
Jeong Nan-ju (1773–1838) was born into one of Korea's most famous scholarly families; the philosopher Jeong Yak-yong was her uncle. Her husband, Hwang Sa-yeong, was executed in 1801 after writing the "Silk Letter", a secret appeal for foreign help for Korea's persecuted Catholics. She was sent to Jeju as a government slave, with their two-year-old son. On the way she left the boy on Chuja Island, between Jeju and the mainland, so that he would not grow up a slave. She lived the remaining 37 years of her life in Daejeong and died there in 1838.
Her tomb sits quietly among fields on the edge of town. Her son's grave on Chuja Island, with a memorial known as the Cross of Tears, is a separate pilgrimage site reached by ferry from Jeju City.
Nearby: Daejeong was a place of exile for others too. The exile site of the scholar and calligrapher Kim Jeong-hui (Chusa) is in the same town, beside the walls of the old Daejeong county fortress.
4. Hwangsapyeong Shrine (Jeju City)
Address: 117-22 Giwa 5-gil, Jeju-si (Hwabuk area)
Phone: +82 64-721-0146 · free
In 1901, resentment on Jeju over heavy new taxes, partly collected through Catholic converts, and over the conduct of some Catholics under the protection of French missionaries, erupted into an uprising. Several hundred people were killed, most of them Catholics. The dead were buried at Hwangsapyeong, which is now the cemetery of the Diocese of Jeju. It is a painful chapter for both the church and the island, and the site today is framed around reconciliation: a Reconciliation Tower was raised in 2021, the 120th anniversary.
5. Jungang Cathedral (Jeju City)
Address: 14 Gwandeok-ro 8-gil, Jeju-si (old town, near Gwandeokjeong)
Phone: +82 64-753-2271 · Mass times are posted on the parish website and change seasonally
The cathedral of the Diocese of Jeju stands in the old centre of Jeju City; its parish dates back to 1899. The office of the Jeju Catholic Pilgrimage Trail uses the same address, so this is the place to ask about stamp books and routes. The Sinchuk Reconciliation route of the trail ends here, after starting at Hwangsapyeong.
6. Kim Gi-ryang Martyrdom Memorial (Hamdeok)
Kim Gi-ryang Felix Peter (1816–1867) was born in Hamdeok, was the first Jeju islander to be baptised and became Jeju's first martyr during the persecution that began in 1866. He was beatified in 2014. A memorial hall stands about 1.3 km inland from Hamdeok Beach, and a walking route links it with Jocheon Catholic Church along the coast.
The Jeju Catholic Pilgrimage Trail
The Diocese of Jeju opened the trail, also called Santo Viaggio ("holy journey"), one route at a time between 2012 and 2017. There are six routes, about 90 km in all:
- Kim Dae-geon Path (Path of Light): about 13 km on the west coast, around Yongsu
- Hanon Church Path (Path of Joy): about 10.6 km in Seogwipo, from Seogwipo Cathedral to the site of the old Hanon church
- Kim Gi-ryang Path (Path of Glory): about 8.7 km between Jocheon Catholic Church and the memorial in Hamdeok
- Jeong Nan-ju Path (Path of Sorrow): about 7 km in Daejeong
- Sinchuk Reconciliation Path (Path of Reconciliation): about 12.6 km, 3 to 4 hours, from Hwangsapyeong to Jungang Cathedral
- Isidore Path (Path of Grace): the newest, opened in 2017, through the ranch country of Hallim
Each route has stamp points, and walkers who complete them can apply for a certificate; the application method changed in June 2026, so check the trail's official site, santoviaggio.com, first. The trail also runs group pilgrimage walks on set dates.
A one-day west-side pilgrimage (by car)
- Morning: Saemi Hill of Grace and St. Isidore Ranch, then a coffee or ice cream at Uyubudan.
- Midday: drive to Yongsu Shrine (roughly 30 minutes) and walk along the coast to Suwolbong.
- Afternoon: Daejeong Shrine and the Chusa exile site, about 20 to 30 minutes further south.
- Avoid Mondays if you want to see the Yongsu memorial hall.
Without a car, Jungang Cathedral and Hwangsapyeong are both in Jeju City and easy by taxi. The west-side sites are possible by bus but slow; our bus guide explains how the routes work.
Tips for WYD 2027 pilgrims
- Know which diocese you are assigned to. If your group is coming to Jeju for the Days in the Diocese (29 July – 2 August 2027), the local programme includes a day of pilgrimage. If you are assigned elsewhere, Jeju is an easy add-on before or after Seoul: flights from Seoul take about an hour.
- Plan for summer heat. Late July and early August are hot and humid, and the sites are mostly outdoors. Carry water and a hat, and expect the odd typhoon warning.
- These are working churches. Dress modestly, keep quiet during Mass and ask before photographing people at prayer.
- Before you land, sort out a SIM or eSIM and a map app. My travel essentials guide covers the options.
Frequently asked questions
Where did St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon land in Jeju?
At Yongsu, in Hangyeong-myeon on the west coast, on 28 September 1845. The Yongsu Shrine marks the spot.
Is St. Isidore Ranch free to visit?
Yes. The grounds, the Saemi Hill of Grace and the Tesiphon are free. You only pay at the café.
Is Jeju hosting WYD 2027 events?
Yes. The Diocese of Jeju hosts the Days in the Diocese from 29 July to 2 August 2027, before the main World Youth Day in Seoul on 3–8 August.
Can I walk the pilgrimage trail on my own?
Yes. The routes are waymarked with stamp points. Pick up a stamp book and check the route maps on the official site before you start.
Which sites can I reach without a car?
Jungang Cathedral and Hwangsapyeong in Jeju City are a short taxi ride from most hotels. St. Isidore, Yongsu and Daejeong are easiest by car or taxi.
If an opening time, Mass schedule or WYD detail has changed since I checked, tell me on the Contact page and I'll update this guide.
More from Jeju Insider:
- Jeju Airport to Aewol and the West Coast: Gates, Buses and Taxis
- Driving in Jeju as a Foreigner: Licence, IDP, Rental Car and Road Rules
- Jeju Travel Essentials for Foreigners: eSIM, T-money Card and Apps That Work
- Jeju Without a Car: A 3-Day Itinerary a Local Would Actually Do
Photo credits, via Wikimedia Commons: Suwolbong cliffs by Grapesurgeon (CC BY-SA 4.0); Daejeong fortress walls by Trainholic (CC BY-SA 4.0). Opening hours, Mass times and WYD details are from the shrines, the Diocese of Jeju and Korean news reports as of November 2026; confirm locally.
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