JEJU-DO < invest Korea

"Sehwa, once a tranquil small village known only for its crystal-clear blue sea and bountiful carrot fields, has emerged as a hotspot, especially among young professionals. Despite its quaint rural setting, Sehwa Village Hall, originally utilized by residents, underwent renovations in 2021, evolving into the Jilgeuraengi Center. This multifaceted cultural space comprises a community center, a café, a shared office, and accommodation. Achieved through the efforts of Sehwamaeul COOP, the center has become a sought-after workation destination among workers nationwide. Here, you can truly experience workation, gazing at the breathtaking sea and engaging in various programs to enjoy the village during non-working hours. The ongoing focus of the Jilgrangyi Center is to enhance its facilities and invigorate the local community, aspiring to be a successful model for Jeju's resident-driven workation industry."

Yang Gunmo, Village PD at Jilgeuraengi Center

Jeju Province actively supports population influx and the growth of related industries by establishing networks with private workation facilities, especially in the eup (town) and myeon (township) areas. As part of this effort, the province operates the Workation Voucher program, Jeju Workation Farm Tour, and has held Jeju Workation Seminars in Pangyo, Seoul, and Singapore. With the increasing demand for workation due to the expansion of remote and distributed work and a high revisit rate of 82.1% among those in their 20s and 30s, Jeju plans to build infrastructure for attracting young generations and businesses, such as workation and youth villages.

Oh Young-hoon, the governor of Jeju Province, who visited the Jilgrangyi Center work office, talked with the vice president of the Sehwa Village Cooperative Association and the participants of the work in Jeju 

The workation office at the Sehwa Jilgrangyi Center, visited by Governor Oh Younghun on November 16, is a prime example of Jeju workation. The office has been participating in Jeju's private workation promotion program since September, with 800 employees from 25 companies using the center in 2023. The governor met with employees from companies using the Sehwa Jilgeuraengi Center, such as Daesang Wellife, Hyundai Heavy Industries, and IGIS Asset Management.

Governor Oh stated, "Jeju is promoting key strategies to transition its tourism paradigm from healing travel to new experiences, including workation that combines work and healing.” He highlighted, "A system that facilitates communication and collaboration among employees, researchers, and developers from various companies will lead to even greater achievements." A participant also expressed, "Despite the limited interaction between departments due to our usual hectic schedules, engaging in the Jeju workation has significantly strengthened our connections. It has provided an opportunity to understand each other's tasks and identify collaborative solutions. Working with a view of the pristine sea of Jeju has had a calming effect on the mind, leading to an even higher level of work efficiency." Another participant remarked, "I look forward to more cultural experience programs that can make the time spent in Jeju even more enriching. Upon returning, I will actively promote the advantages of Jeju workation to my employees and friends, encouraging them to participate."

Sehwa-ri, selected as the best tourist village at UNWTO, and Yang Gun-mo Village PD holding a plaque 

The Jilgrangyi Workation Office in Sehwa-ri, Gujwa-eup, is gaining attention again as it was named to the 3rd United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Best Tourism Villages List. This list, initiated in 2021, aims to address the issues of imbalance and population decline in rural areas through sustainable local tourism development. The criteria include a resident population of less than 15,000 engaged in agriculture, forestry, and livestock, evaluating aspects such as cultural and natural resources, the promotion and conservation of cultural resources, socio-economic and environmental sustainability, tourism development and value chain integration, and governance and prioritization of tourism.

Led by the nation's largest village cooperative, Sehwamaeul COOP, Sehwa-ri operates the Jilgrangyi Center, overseeing workation accommodation and a local cafe. The center is dedicated to preserving and promoting cultural heritage and traditional culture through tourism, with local residents directly managing tourism products, which utilize intangible cultural heritage "haenyeo (women divers)," important agricultural heritage "batdam (stone field walls)," and the region's key produce, carrots.

Today, more companies offer workation opportunities so that employees find a balance between work and leisure. Workation is effective in enhancing employee welfare, improving the quality of life, increasing job satisfaction, and providing a flexible working environment, which includes telecommuting, contributing to the portrayal of the company as an innovative and creative business. Jeju, renowned as the most popular workation destination in Korea, provides diverse environment options from the old downtown to coastal villages, and natural landscapes such as Hallasan Mountain and oreum (volcanic cones). Additionally, noteworthy are cases where villages housing workation offices thrive in conjunction with the workation trend. A prime example is the Jilgeuraengi Center, operated by Sehwa-ri, Gujwa-eup.

Q  The Jilgeuraengi Center is considered a successful case, not only for workation but also for mutually beneficial village operation. Could you tell us how it was established and how it operates?

Beyond Jeju, small towns, and townships nationwide, including rural areas, grapple with challenges due to population decline and aging. In response to the pressing issues of population outflow and waning community cohesion, Sehwa-ri founded Sehwamaeul COOP in 2019. The renovation of the old village hall was made possible through funding from the Rural Center Revitalization Project. This four-story structure accommodates the Sehwa-ri office on the first floor, a café, and a souvenir shop showcasing various products from Jeju-based creators on the second floor. The third floor serves as a workation office, providing a space to work freely and a seminar room. Professionals from companies in the capital area not only work here but also engage in cross-functional interactions and village tourism after completing their work. The fourth floor operates an accommodation facility called "Sehwabakgeori," where limited rooms make booking highly competitive.

Q   Who comes to Jilgeuraengi workation, and how do they spend their time?

Workation distinguishes itself from a simple vacation by requiring not only a basic work environment but also infrastructure for daily life during the workation period. Employees from various Korean companies in finance, services, retail, and more have been staying in Jeju for at least three days, up to a week, using the Jilgeuraengi Center Workation Office as their workspace. The location provides a view of the famous Sehwa Sea and is within a minute's reach of the beach. Numerous accommodations near Sehwa Fifth-day Market and the center make it an ideal workation destination.

View of Jeju's work office located on the 3rd floor of the Jilgeuraegi Center 

Q   What makes the Jilgeuraengi Center a significant model for promoting regional growth?

Merely having a beautiful landscape in a workspace is insufficient to distinguish it from other workation places. The Jilgeuraengi Center approached workation as a village business, originating from the village cooperative. The initial 477 cooperative members actively participated in the new venture of protecting and revitalizing the village, posing questions such as "Would people choose this place if they simply want to spend a few days in a shared office? Wouldn't it be better if people could work and have a unique experience simultaneously?" Those visiting Sehwa-ri for workation spend an average of four nights and five days, investing around KRW 500,000 in meals and accommodations. With outsiders' increasing visits and stays, once-quiet local restaurants are bustling, and daily infrastructure is rejuvenating. The center provides information for enjoying the village, including what to do, eat, and experience, as well as village tour programs. The unique features of the Jilgeuraengi Center not only help increase the settled population but also the resident population, enhancing the vibrancy of the village and gaining nationwide recognition.

The Jilgeuraegi Center operates a variety of programs that you can experience after work, which is the beauty of true work 

Q   What is the next goal for the Jilgeuraengi Center’s workation operations?

Employees who experienced workation at Jilgeuraengi often recommend workation after joining a new company or taking a vacation with friends or family after their workation period. People having a positive experience, creating good memories, and returning to a place after workation are a testament to the success of this business model. I hope everyone who has experienced workation at the Jilgeuraengi Center considers Sehwa-ri their second hometown. Even if you can't visit your hometown frequently, just thinking about it can bring you joy, and if time allows, you can come back anytime you want. It would also be great to settle in small towns like Sehwa after experiencing them through workation. As this place is operated not by individuals but by a village cooperative, various village projects are pursued with the goal of creating jobs for residents and generating communal income. Workation office operation is part of this effort. The Gujwa Resident Travel Agency, which is gaining positive feedback from workation users, also plans to operate more diverse programs in 2024. Also, the Jilgeuraengi Center is expanding the rooftop above the parking lot through remodeling. As winter gives way to spring, it will transform into a new look, so please come back again. 

Sehwa Village Cooperative, a community culture created by people who really love the village 

With returning visitors who have experienced a small village through workation, village residents who always warmly welcome visitors from outside, the beautiful Jeju Sea, and the vibrant Sehwa Fifth-day Market, the Jilgeuraengi Center Workation Office in Gujwa continues to exude youthful energy and vitality. It was undoubtedly one of the most successful cases of Jeju workation.