Workers on Sept. 19 type on their PCs at Seosang Workation Center in the township of Seo-myeon in Namhae-gun County, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. Formerly a passenger ship terminal until the 2012 World Expo in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do Province, the facility underwent renovation and was reopened as a communal office space in April last year. (Charles Audouin)
By Charles Auduoin
"In Seoul, I get tired easily when commuting but here, I feel refreshed and my work efficiency improves."
Kim Sang Hyeok, a staff member of a startup, began work on Sept. 19 at Seosang Workation Center in the township of Seo-myeon in Namhae-gun County, Gyeongsangnam-do Province.
Jay Kim, a CEO who is also working there, agreed, saying, "Workation culture is expanding led by the government," adding, "It boosts my concentration level, so after my company gradually stabilizes, I'm thinking of leaving Seoul and working in a province."
The term "workation" is a neologism of the words "work" and "vacation" as it uses a vacation spot, not an urban office, for labor performance. The new trend has gained popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Workation in Korea not only seeks higher work efficiency, creativity and work-life balance but also aims to help regions at risk of depopulation, stimulate regional economic growth and attract businesses.
Shin Dong-hoon, CEO of the workation company The Hyuil Streaming House, said, "For companies, workation improves work culture and boosts staff satisfaction. For local governments, it raises the resident population on weekdays and in the off-season and establishes a regional growth model."
Since its launch of the Youth Village Life Experiment Project in 2020, Namhae-gun has sought to create an environment compatible with workation to attract youth and boost its population.
The county used money from a fund of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to alleviate depopulation in the provinces to turn a former passenger ship terminal into a communal office space. This month, Namhae Workation Aengang, another project for lodging and workspaces for digital nomads, will begin trial operations.
A Namhae-gun official said, "Workation in Namhae combines work and daily life and is open to individuals, coworkers and families."
Namhae Workation Aengang (Namhae-gun County Office)
Government projects aim to stimulate workation like subsidies for office rent and activity fees, travel insurance and lodging reservations. Those who wish to apply can do so on Hyuil's official website (thehyuil.co.kr).
Through December, the ministry offers civil servants of the central government workation opportunities in 34 cities and counties in 22 regions at risk of depopulation. As of September, about 1,000 such workers at 15 institutions participated.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization through year's end is running workation programs in 21 regions. They will collaborate with a workation and recreation program in fishing villages run by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and another in agricultural villages by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to diversify the range of activities and amenities.
Participants in the Korea and Japan Workation Familiarization Tour from Sept. 11-12 take a group photo at Art Center Goma in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do Province. (Streaming House)
The Korean workation model is also gaining recognition abroad. Chungcheongnam-do Province from Sept. 11-12 invited local government officials and business representatives from Japan to the province's city of Gongju and Boryeong-gun County for a global familiarization tour on workation.
Participants experienced the model through stays at Hanok (traditional houses), traditional Korean culture and tours of Chungcheongnam-do.
"Workation is now a hybrid form of corporate work," Shin said. "Its market demand is rising as it spreads to government branches and public corporations."
He also mentioned the potential for overseas business trip workations to develop into a model of inter-country cooperation.
caudouin@korea.kr