Digital nomads are professionals who can work from anywhere using digital devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets. (Image courtesy of Jeju Province)
JEJU, Nov. 15 (Korea Bizwire) – Jeju Province has initiated plans to introduce a unique “Jeju-style Digital Nomad Visa” that would combine the island’s existing visa-free entry program with workation visa benefits.
The province and the Jeju International Convention Center (ICC Jeju) announced on November 14 that they recently hosted a “Jeju Workation with Global Digital Nomads” event, which brought together over 30 digital nomads from 14 countries, including the United States, France, and Australia. The event ran from October 31 to November 7.
Digital nomads are professionals who can work from anywhere using digital devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets.
The event, organized by global workation startup Hoppers, allowed participants to work from shared office spaces in Jeju while enjoying local experiences such as walking the Olle Trail, exploring volcanic oreum peaks, and tangerine picking during their leisure time.
A post-event satisfaction survey revealed that 100% of participants expressed interest in returning to Jeju, with 77% hoping to stay for extended periods of over three weeks after the program’s conclusion.
The event, organized by global workation startup Hoppers, allowed participants to work from shared office spaces in Jeju while enjoying local experiences such as walking the Olle Trail, exploring volcanic oreum peaks, and tangerine picking during their leisure time. (Image courtesy of Jeju Province)
Encouraged by this positive response, Jeju is now pursuing the implementation of its own digital nomad visa. Since 2002, under the Jeju Special Act, the island has operated a visa-free entry system allowing foreigners from certain countries (excluding those designated as state sponsors of terrorism) to stay for up to one month without a visa.
Separately, since January this year, the Ministry of Justice has been piloting a workation visa, or “digital nomad visa,” allowing foreign remote workers to enjoy extended stays while touring Korea.
This visa currently requires applicants to prove their employment with a foreign company and meet certain income requirements.
Jeju is now conducting research to develop its own version of the digital nomad visa that would maintain the advantages of the visa-free system while addressing the stringent requirements of the current digital nomad visa.
“In line with the national government’s policy to attract foreign talent, we plan to ease visa issuance criteria and actively recruit global digital professionals,” said Kim In-young, director general of Jeju’s Economic Vitality Bureau.
“Workation, as a new lifestyle in the digital age, will become a growth engine for Jeju.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
