Pope Francis was as popular as an idol wherever he went during his stay in South Korea. As if to prove the South Korean society's "love" for the pope, websites and social network sites overflowed with posts claiming, "I am in love with the pope." From August 13, the day before the pope's arrival until the morning of August 18, the last day of his stay in Korea, there were more than 380,000 tweets on Twitter mentioning the pope.

People online noticed the pope's non-authoritarian character. When the pope traveled in a Soul, a compact car by a Korean automaker, people wrote online that "I respect the pope's frugality," and "He is a model of a truly religious person."

His interest in the families of the ferry victims, which the pope displayed during his stay, left a big impact. When a video of the pope getting out of the car to comfort the bereaved families during the car parade before the beatification mass was posted on DVD Prime, an online community of DVD aficionados, similar responses came up saying, "I just broke into tears. The pope is doing what the leader of our country should be doing," "I feel like I am being healed just by his existence."

The pope's popularity went beyond believers and non-believers; it even went beyond the boundary of religions. One person on Twitter (ID: @wiz***) said, "I don't have a religion, but I was infinitely moved and comforted by the pope's words and actions." Another person who stated that he was a Protestant wrote, "The Protestants in our country have not played the role of salt and light. I think the Roman Catholic Church is playing the role of salt and light."

The pope's personal dignity lingers long after he has left the country. One person on Twitter (ID: @zaro***) wrote, "The pope left the country with the 'yellow ribbon' fastened to his chest. He impressed me till the end. Viva, Papa!" along with a picture of the pope.

Lee Chang-geun, a Ssangyong Motor worker who was laid off and who is also head of policy planning at the Ssangyong Motor branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union tweeted, "Life after the pope has gone is challenging just like it is in a rural village after a rare guest has come and gone."