A hidden island in Europe where a surprising number of Koreans live!

canary islands

Even if you are unfamiliar with the Canary Islands, many people have probably heard of ‘Las Palmas.’ Las Palmas is the name of the largest city in the Canary Islands.

If you enjoyed the Age of Exploration as a child, you cannot miss this island, and if you like soccer or soccer, you will be familiar with it thanks to Las Palmas of Spain’s La Liga.

Although it is a Spanish territory, it is quite far from mainland Spain and closer to Morocco.

It’s an island that doesn’t seem to have much to do with Korea, but there are about 700 to 800 Koreans living here.

It may seem like a small number, but considering the distance and level of exchange with our country, it is quite a large number. Since the number of Korean residents in Spain is around 4,000, it can be seen that the ratio is quite high.

even

A diplomatic mission operated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea is established in Las Palmas, and a Korean diplomat is permanently stationed there.

In general, embassies are only established in the capital, and diplomatic missions are rarely established in places other than the capital, unless they are world-class cities or cities that have particularly high exchanges with our country. Even Britain and France only have one embassy in the capital… It is quite unusual to have a diplomatic mission in such a small city.

The reason goes back to the 1960s.

old days

At a time when deep-sea fishing was Korea’s main foreign currency earning business, Las Palmas was the central base for Korea’s Atlantic deep-sea fishing.

At its peak, there were 3,000 to 4,000 Koreans living there full-time. It is said that the Korean community had developed to the extent that it numbered 10,000 people, including the sailors on board the ship.

The foreign currency they sent was a great addition to our country’s economic development at the time.

Since the 1990s, it has gradually declined and many Korean residents have left, and many of those who remain are now engaged in other industries rather than the fishing industry.

Unlike the miners and nurses dispatched to Germany who became the subject of mass media and are widely known, these people are not well known.

I am writing this with the hope that the hard work of these people will not be forgotten.