Workcation in Sokcho (Image courtesy of Sokcho City)
CHUNCHEON, Mar. 22 (Korea Bizwire) – Sokcho, a coastal city in Gangwon Province, is embarking on an ambitious initiative this year to establish itself as a “Workcation Capital” by offering comprehensive programs that blend remote work with vacation experiences.
From now until June, the city will run a three-night, four-day program titled “A Taste of Work Like Vacation, Well-cation in Sokcho” every week from Tuesday through Friday.
This program follows a successful pilot launched last year in collaboration with the Gangwon Tourism Organization and the Seoul Business Agency, which attracted over 20,000 participants.
For 2024, the program has expanded to include the Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service, with a target of attracting 1,300 participants comprising small business employees, cultural artists, and IT professionals from the Pangyo tech cluster just outside of Seoul.
The program has partnered with 13 local resorts, hotels, three shared office spaces, and nine experience-based activities tailored for “workcationers.” A specialized “Cultural Artist Workcation” will be offered in the Seorak-dong accommodation district near the entrance of Seoraksan Mountain.
This program follows a successful pilot launched last year in collaboration with the Gangwon Tourism Organization and the Seoul Business Agency (Image courtesy of Sokcho City)
Costs for accommodation (including breakfast), shared office usage, tourism experiences, and insurance will be jointly subsidized by the city of Sokcho, the Gangwon Tourism Organization, the Seoul Business Agency, and the Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service.
Participants will contribute between 20% and 60% of the total cost and can choose from nine diverse activities, including water parks, cable cars, yachting, surfing, and sea fishing, while working remotely in Sokcho during their stay.
The city plans to conduct satisfaction surveys this year to identify areas for improvement and will determine whether to continue the program in the second half of the year based on the findings.
After a test run at the end of this month, Sokcho will launch the full-scale operation in April.
“We will strive to create an environment where workers from various regions, including Seoul and Gyeonggi, can achieve professional success while rejuvenating in the ‘Global Workcation Capital,’” said Mayor Lee Byung-sun on Tuesday.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
