Creating a Digital Nomad Community in Korea with Jeong
Jeong believes remote working could help with making cities more sustainable and revitalize the countryside. This is why she created her startup, Hoppers, and the Digital Nomads Korea community.
Who would be a better guide than Jeong to help you discover our Digital Nomads Korea community this month? She single-handedly started organizing meetups in Seoul in November 2022 and has been expanding these events ever since 💪
Jeong is full of energy and curiosity. She loves cities and traveling, which led her to start Hoppers in 2021, her own startup to facilitate digital nomadism in Korea.
How did you start Digital Nomads Korea?
Ever since I learned about digital nomadism, I’ve been really interested in the idea. I was studying architecture and urban planning when I heard about it and I started thinking about how remote work could lead to a more sustainable way of living. I wanted to create a better space for digital nomads and remote workers to be able to do so, which is how I ended up launching my startup Hoppers.
It was an interesting time to begin this type of company because the COVID-19 pandemic made remote work more mainstream. People from all around the world started talking about working from anywhere. Many countries wanted to attract remote workers and digital nomads, including Korea. But here, these efforts mainly focused on local employees, not digital nomads.
So I started organizing weekly meetups and here we are today! We're organizing various events like coworking, dinners, outdoor activities, and trips outside of Seoul. We're also partnering with local communities and businesses to offer unique experiences.
Who inspired you to do so?
Actually, I was already meeting international digital nomads through events in Seoul before. I realized they faced challenges like finding a community, affordable long-term places to stay, and useful information. But around the same time, I got inspired by Goncalo Hall, the creator of Digital Nomads Madeira Islands. He made me see that there was a way to create digital nomad-friendly places, and that Korea had the potential for it.
Why do you think Korea is good for remote work?
I think everyone loves Korea’s cafe working culture. Most cafes here are laptop-friendly, with plugs and fast Wi-Fi. You don't have to feel awkward about working there because it's been the norm in Korea for a long time. All it costs is a drink!
Plus, the internet is fast everywhere in the country, even in rural areas. The cities are lively at night too, which is great for people working in different time zones. You can order food, go shopping, and even take a walk in the middle of the night.
Is living in Korea affordable?
Compared to other metropolitan areas, Seoul is generally affordable, especially for things like going out, eating, and using public transportation.
But finding an affordable place to live in Seoul might be a bit tricky for foreigners. We have a unique housing rental system called "jeonse," where tenants pay a huge deposit upfront to the landlord and don’t have to pay any rent. There's also a monthly rent option, but it also usually requires a high deposit (less than jeonse, but still too high for unprepared foreigners). These options are not an ideal for digital nomads so most people use Airbnb or other tourism rentals, and this could be expensive. We do need to come up with better and more flexible housing options for digital nomads.
Outside of Seoul, living costs are lower… And why stick to the capital city if we can work remotely? There's potential for new hubs in other parts of Korea to build communities and promote tourism.
You believe remote work can help cities. Why?
I believe remote work could be a solution to common urban issues caused by rapid urbanization - for instance, overcrowding, high living costs, pollution, and shrinking cities with aging populations.
In Korea, this is especially relevant. The capital area, which includes Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi, is home to half the country's population. This concentration in one area leads to an imbalanced development and nearly half of Korea's smaller towns are losing population. It's been a tough problem to solve: how do we spread out the population and encourage young people to live in smaller cities? I think remote work could be the answer. When you can work from anywhere, you can choose where to live based on what you value most, like nature or community. If smaller cities cater to remote workers, they could become attractive with lower costs and a better quality of life.
What's the digital nomad culture like in Korea?
In Korea, remote work has been slower to catch on compared to other countries due to the traditional work culture. The COVID-19 pandemic helped familiarize people with remote work, but it's still new for many companies. They often don't fully understand it until they see it in action.
There's a growing interest, though, especially among younger Koreans who want to try out the digital nomad lifestyle. One of my goals with Digital Nomads Korea is to inspire local companies. Once people experience the benefits, it's hard to go back to working in an office!
What's next for Digital Nomads Korea?
We’re launching a lifestyle brand called Hoppin, to offer services for nomads, including coworking, coliving, and local activities. Our first project is in Yeonnam-dong, a trendy neighborhood in Hongdae, where we've transformed a traditional Korean house into a coworking and coliving space.
We're also teaming up with local governments and businesses to create workation programs throughout the country. We've already had some events this year in Jeju Island and Hongseong and aim to build strong digital nomad communities through these programs. We hope that our efforts will encourage the Korean government to develop a supportive policy for digital nomads such as the Digital Nomad Visa.
Jeong’s Recommendations
🌱 A way to work
You can join Outdoor Office Day with me! It’s an initiative created by my friend Ioana Biris, a nature lover and social psychologist in Amsterdam, which happens once a year and invites everyone to join. Before I started Digital Nomads Korea, I was involved in designing outdoor office setups and running campaigns to promote outdoor office culture. Imagine a coworking spot in a park—my dream office—where creativity flows as freely as the breeze! 😄
📍 A place to go
I often end up at Nodeulseom Island (노들섬), situated in the heart of the Han River in Seoul. It has everything you need for a perfect workation day, plus a panoramic view of the riverside and Seoul's skyline. You can sit at the public work lounge (it’s free!), grab a bite at one of the restaurants, snack at a convenience store, enjoy a picnic in the park, and catch a live concert on the outside stage.
📺 A thing to watch
I loved watching My Liberation Notes. It’s a Korean TV series available on Netflix that takes you into the daily lives of people living on the outskirts of Seoul. Commuting far distances for work is something that a lot of Koreans can relate to and My Liberation Notes narrated it in a very subtle, realistic and emotional way. The dialogues, especially, are beautiful and the actors are incredible. I think it’s a very good story to understand the deep layers of Korean culture, like the work culture or the generational gap.
Creating a Digital Nomad Community in Korea with Jeong
Jeong believes remote working could help with making cities more sustainable and revitalize the countryside. This is why she created her startup, Hoppers, and the Digital Nomads Korea community.
Who would be a better guide than Jeong to help you discover our Digital Nomads Korea community this month? She single-handedly started organizing meetups in Seoul in November 2022 and has been expanding these events ever since 💪
Jeong is full of energy and curiosity. She loves cities and traveling, which led her to start Hoppers in 2021, her own startup to facilitate digital nomadism in Korea.
How did you start Digital Nomads Korea?
Ever since I learned about digital nomadism, I’ve been really interested in the idea. I was studying architecture and urban planning when I heard about it and I started thinking about how remote work could lead to a more sustainable way of living. I wanted to create a better space for digital nomads and remote workers to be able to do so, which is how I ended up launching my startup Hoppers.
It was an interesting time to begin this type of company because the COVID-19 pandemic made remote work more mainstream. People from all around the world started talking about working from anywhere. Many countries wanted to attract remote workers and digital nomads, including Korea. But here, these efforts mainly focused on local employees, not digital nomads.
So I started organizing weekly meetups and here we are today! We're organizing various events like coworking, dinners, outdoor activities, and trips outside of Seoul. We're also partnering with local communities and businesses to offer unique experiences.
Who inspired you to do so?
Actually, I was already meeting international digital nomads through events in Seoul before. I realized they faced challenges like finding a community, affordable long-term places to stay, and useful information. But around the same time, I got inspired by Goncalo Hall, the creator of Digital Nomads Madeira Islands. He made me see that there was a way to create digital nomad-friendly places, and that Korea had the potential for it.
Why do you think Korea is good for remote work?
I think everyone loves Korea’s cafe working culture. Most cafes here are laptop-friendly, with plugs and fast Wi-Fi. You don't have to feel awkward about working there because it's been the norm in Korea for a long time. All it costs is a drink!
Plus, the internet is fast everywhere in the country, even in rural areas. The cities are lively at night too, which is great for people working in different time zones. You can order food, go shopping, and even take a walk in the middle of the night.
Is living in Korea affordable?
Compared to other metropolitan areas, Seoul is generally affordable, especially for things like going out, eating, and using public transportation.
But finding an affordable place to live in Seoul might be a bit tricky for foreigners. We have a unique housing rental system called "jeonse," where tenants pay a huge deposit upfront to the landlord and don’t have to pay any rent. There's also a monthly rent option, but it also usually requires a high deposit (less than jeonse, but still too high for unprepared foreigners). These options are not an ideal for digital nomads so most people use Airbnb or other tourism rentals, and this could be expensive. We do need to come up with better and more flexible housing options for digital nomads.
Outside of Seoul, living costs are lower… And why stick to the capital city if we can work remotely? There's potential for new hubs in other parts of Korea to build communities and promote tourism.
You believe remote work can help cities. Why?
I believe remote work could be a solution to common urban issues caused by rapid urbanization - for instance, overcrowding, high living costs, pollution, and shrinking cities with aging populations.
In Korea, this is especially relevant. The capital area, which includes Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi, is home to half the country's population. This concentration in one area leads to an imbalanced development and nearly half of Korea's smaller towns are losing population. It's been a tough problem to solve: how do we spread out the population and encourage young people to live in smaller cities? I think remote work could be the answer. When you can work from anywhere, you can choose where to live based on what you value most, like nature or community. If smaller cities cater to remote workers, they could become attractive with lower costs and a better quality of life.
What's the digital nomad culture like in Korea?
In Korea, remote work has been slower to catch on compared to other countries due to the traditional work culture. The COVID-19 pandemic helped familiarize people with remote work, but it's still new for many companies. They often don't fully understand it until they see it in action.
There's a growing interest, though, especially among younger Koreans who want to try out the digital nomad lifestyle. One of my goals with Digital Nomads Korea is to inspire local companies. Once people experience the benefits, it's hard to go back to working in an office!
What's next for Digital Nomads Korea?
We’re launching a lifestyle brand called Hoppin, to offer services for nomads, including coworking, coliving, and local activities. Our first project is in Yeonnam-dong, a trendy neighborhood in Hongdae, where we've transformed a traditional Korean house into a coworking and coliving space.
We're also teaming up with local governments and businesses to create workation programs throughout the country. We've already had some events this year in Jeju Island and Hongseong and aim to build strong digital nomad communities through these programs. We hope that our efforts will encourage the Korean government to develop a supportive policy for digital nomads such as the Digital Nomad Visa.
Jeong’s Recommendations
🌱 A way to work
You can join Outdoor Office Day with me! It’s an initiative created by my friend Ioana Biris, a nature lover and social psychologist in Amsterdam, which happens once a year and invites everyone to join. Before I started Digital Nomads Korea, I was involved in designing outdoor office setups and running campaigns to promote outdoor office culture. Imagine a coworking spot in a park—my dream office—where creativity flows as freely as the breeze! 😄
📍 A place to go
I often end up at Nodeulseom Island (노들섬), situated in the heart of the Han River in Seoul. It has everything you need for a perfect workation day, plus a panoramic view of the riverside and Seoul's skyline. You can sit at the public work lounge (it’s free!), grab a bite at one of the restaurants, snack at a convenience store, enjoy a picnic in the park, and catch a live concert on the outside stage.
📺 A thing to watch
I loved watching My Liberation Notes. It’s a Korean TV series available on Netflix that takes you into the daily lives of people living on the outskirts of Seoul. Commuting far distances for work is something that a lot of Koreans can relate to and My Liberation Notes narrated it in a very subtle, realistic and emotional way. The dialogues, especially, are beautiful and the actors are incredible. I think it’s a very good story to understand the deep layers of Korean culture, like the work culture or the generational gap.
Creating a Digital Nomad Community in Korea with Jeong
Jeong believes remote working could help with making cities more sustainable and revitalize the countryside. This is why she created her startup, Hoppers, and the Digital Nomads Korea community.
Who would be a better guide than Jeong to help you discover our Digital Nomads Korea community this month? She single-handedly started organizing meetups in Seoul in November 2022 and has been expanding these events ever since 💪
Jeong is full of energy and curiosity. She loves cities and traveling, which led her to start Hoppers in 2021, her own startup to facilitate digital nomadism in Korea.
How did you start Digital Nomads Korea?
Ever since I learned about digital nomadism, I’ve been really interested in the idea. I was studying architecture and urban planning when I heard about it and I started thinking about how remote work could lead to a more sustainable way of living. I wanted to create a better space for digital nomads and remote workers to be able to do so, which is how I ended up launching my startup Hoppers.
It was an interesting time to begin this type of company because the COVID-19 pandemic made remote work more mainstream. People from all around the world started talking about working from anywhere. Many countries wanted to attract remote workers and digital nomads, including Korea. But here, these efforts mainly focused on local employees, not digital nomads.
So I started organizing weekly meetups and here we are today! We're organizing various events like coworking, dinners, outdoor activities, and trips outside of Seoul. We're also partnering with local communities and businesses to offer unique experiences.
Who inspired you to do so?
Actually, I was already meeting international digital nomads through events in Seoul before. I realized they faced challenges like finding a community, affordable long-term places to stay, and useful information. But around the same time, I got inspired by Goncalo Hall, the creator of Digital Nomads Madeira Islands. He made me see that there was a way to create digital nomad-friendly places, and that Korea had the potential for it.
Why do you think Korea is good for remote work?
I think everyone loves Korea’s cafe working culture. Most cafes here are laptop-friendly, with plugs and fast Wi-Fi. You don't have to feel awkward about working there because it's been the norm in Korea for a long time. All it costs is a drink!
Plus, the internet is fast everywhere in the country, even in rural areas. The cities are lively at night too, which is great for people working in different time zones. You can order food, go shopping, and even take a walk in the middle of the night.
Is living in Korea affordable?
Compared to other metropolitan areas, Seoul is generally affordable, especially for things like going out, eating, and using public transportation.
But finding an affordable place to live in Seoul might be a bit tricky for foreigners. We have a unique housing rental system called "jeonse," where tenants pay a huge deposit upfront to the landlord and don’t have to pay any rent. There's also a monthly rent option, but it also usually requires a high deposit (less than jeonse, but still too high for unprepared foreigners). These options are not an ideal for digital nomads so most people use Airbnb or other tourism rentals, and this could be expensive. We do need to come up with better and more flexible housing options for digital nomads.
Outside of Seoul, living costs are lower… And why stick to the capital city if we can work remotely? There's potential for new hubs in other parts of Korea to build communities and promote tourism.
You believe remote work can help cities. Why?
I believe remote work could be a solution to common urban issues caused by rapid urbanization - for instance, overcrowding, high living costs, pollution, and shrinking cities with aging populations.
In Korea, this is especially relevant. The capital area, which includes Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi, is home to half the country's population. This concentration in one area leads to an imbalanced development and nearly half of Korea's smaller towns are losing population. It's been a tough problem to solve: how do we spread out the population and encourage young people to live in smaller cities? I think remote work could be the answer. When you can work from anywhere, you can choose where to live based on what you value most, like nature or community. If smaller cities cater to remote workers, they could become attractive with lower costs and a better quality of life.
What's the digital nomad culture like in Korea?
In Korea, remote work has been slower to catch on compared to other countries due to the traditional work culture. The COVID-19 pandemic helped familiarize people with remote work, but it's still new for many companies. They often don't fully understand it until they see it in action.
There's a growing interest, though, especially among younger Koreans who want to try out the digital nomad lifestyle. One of my goals with Digital Nomads Korea is to inspire local companies. Once people experience the benefits, it's hard to go back to working in an office!
What's next for Digital Nomads Korea?
We’re launching a lifestyle brand called Hoppin, to offer services for nomads, including coworking, coliving, and local activities. Our first project is in Yeonnam-dong, a trendy neighborhood in Hongdae, where we've transformed a traditional Korean house into a coworking and coliving space.
We're also teaming up with local governments and businesses to create workation programs throughout the country. We've already had some events this year in Jeju Island and Hongseong and aim to build strong digital nomad communities through these programs. We hope that our efforts will encourage the Korean government to develop a supportive policy for digital nomads such as the Digital Nomad Visa.
Jeong’s Recommendations
🌱 A way to work
You can join Outdoor Office Day with me! It’s an initiative created by my friend Ioana Biris, a nature lover and social psychologist in Amsterdam, which happens once a year and invites everyone to join. Before I started Digital Nomads Korea, I was involved in designing outdoor office setups and running campaigns to promote outdoor office culture. Imagine a coworking spot in a park—my dream office—where creativity flows as freely as the breeze! 😄
📍 A place to go
I often end up at Nodeulseom Island (노들섬), situated in the heart of the Han River in Seoul. It has everything you need for a perfect workation day, plus a panoramic view of the riverside and Seoul's skyline. You can sit at the public work lounge (it’s free!), grab a bite at one of the restaurants, snack at a convenience store, enjoy a picnic in the park, and catch a live concert on the outside stage.
📺 A thing to watch
I loved watching My Liberation Notes. It’s a Korean TV series available on Netflix that takes you into the daily lives of people living on the outskirts of Seoul. Commuting far distances for work is something that a lot of Koreans can relate to and My Liberation Notes narrated it in a very subtle, realistic and emotional way. The dialogues, especially, are beautiful and the actors are incredible. I think it’s a very good story to understand the deep layers of Korean culture, like the work culture or the generational gap.
