Leveraging long-term stays by foreigners to boost regional revitalization and global competitiveness
By Kim Woo-ram | September 1, 2025, 18:05:53
Published on 프라임경제 (News Prime)
“Right now, Korea has a prime opportunity to capture the digital nomad market. Thanks to the global attention from the Korean Wave, plus Korea’s strengths in safety, transport, and daily infrastructure, the country already offers world-class quality of life. If remote workers from abroad make Korea their base and stay long term, this becomes more than tourism — it becomes a way to attract top global talent and revive declining regions.”
The Rise of Digital Nomads & Korea’s Opportunity
The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered how people work. Remote work and working from home have become normalized, and a new group — the “digital nomads,” who live and work while moving across borders — has rapidly grown. Countries like Spain, Portugal, Bali, and Chiang Mai are often cited as classic nomad destinations.
More recently, the trend has extended into East Asia, including Korea. Foreigners now visit not only Seoul, but Busan, Jeju, and even rural parts like Hongseong County.
Hoppers is Korea’s first digital nomad platform startup, aiming to serve foreigners visiting Korea through community-building, physical spaces, and tailored programs.
Cho says her interest in digital nomads predates the pandemic.
She previously worked as a smart city researcher at the Hanssem DBEW (now Taejae) Research Foundation, then studied urban planning at University College London (UCL).
Early on, she believed that the normalization of remote work might ease metropolitan overcrowding and help correct regional imbalances. She even researched “designing sustainable urban environments for remote workers.”
Through that, she encountered the “Tulsa Remote” initiative in Oklahoma, USA — a model that draws remote workers to revitalize local tax revenue, consumption, and culture. Cho became convinced that “remote workers and digital nomads can breathe new life into cities and regions.”
Returning to Korea in 2021, she initially explored hardware-based ideas — outdoor office kits in underused urban spaces and up-cycled furniture — but found market demand elusive.
She then realized that the real need wasn’t just space, but connection. Remote workers and digital nomads in Korea lacked good access to community, information, and workspace. She began hosting weekly meetups to bridge that gap.
Building the Community & Space
Launched in early 2023, DNK now has over 5,000 members — mostly remote workers from North America, Europe, and Australia. English is the main language. While in Korea, members exchange useful information, join events, and interact with local regions.
With real demand confirmed, Cho opened the first Hoppin House in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul in September 2023. It’s a combined co-living and co-working space for digital nomads. Though modest in scale (5 rooms, 16 seats for coworking), it functions as a “gateway to life in Korea” for foreign nomads.
Pricing is steep — from about 1,100,000 KRW per month for a dormitory bed, to 2,500,000 KRW for a private room — but the target customer is high-earning remote workers.
Cho sees the Yeonnam branch as a testbed: to refine brand identity and test the co-living/co-working model. Though profits are limited now, it has helped Hoppers
form global partnerships in places like Japan and Taiwan.
Beyond physical spaces, Hoppers
is also developing long-term stay programs in partnership with local governments.
In 2023, it ran a “workation” program in Hongseong County. Participants described it as one of their most memorable experiences in Korea. Capitalizing on that success, Hoppers organized long-term stays in Busan and Jeju in 2024. These participants aren’t just tourists — they live, work, and engage locally, contributing to the regional economy.
Currently, Hoppers is running Hoppin Busan Global Workation in collaboration with the Busan Center for Creative Economy and Innovation. The plan: recruit about 200 global remote workers over 10 weeks. Cho stresses that such workation programs can evolve into avenues for attracting global talent and expanding startup networks.
Regulatory Challenges & the Policy Gap
One of the key obstacles is regulation.
Though Korea introduced a digital nomad visa in 2023, many applicants struggle through complicated processes and strict residency requirements. As a result, many potential nomads opt instead for Taiwan or Japan.
Cho argues that the government must view this not through a tourism lens, but as part of a global talent attraction strategy — one that should involve science, industry, and innovation ministries. She is preparing to establish an association to push this agenda. She points to Taiwan’s proactive approach via its National Development Council, which actively promotes digital nomad recruitment and visa systems.
Cho underscores that foreign nomads are not just fleeting tourists but semi-permanent residents. They stay longer than traditional tourists, spend locally on lodging, transport, food, and integrate with communities — thus offering regional economies both economic and cultural value.
To support nomads, key infrastructure is needed: 24/7 workspaces, long-stay–friendly lodging, global community networks, and robust ties with local businesses.
Interestingly, many of the digital nomads visiting Korea are high-caliber professionals — entrepreneurs and developers. Some end up launching startups, switching jobs, or establishing roots here, which helps bolster Korea’s global startup ecosystem.
Expansion & Future Goals
Hoppers aims to expand across Asia.
Domestically, it plans to base itself in Seoul, Busan, and Jeju. This year, it will begin “hoppin service” operations in Osaka (Japan) and Dubai (UAE). It has also been recognized by the Seoul Tourism Startup Acceleration Program and is backed by angel investors such as Tab Angel Partners.
Cho envisions that services used in Seoul should seamlessly extend to Osaka and Dubai, thereby enabling nomads to flow to Korea even while based abroad. Her goal is to complete “Hoppers signature spaces” across Korea over the next three years and establish Korea as Asia’s workation hub.
She adds a final note about the word “nomad”:
“When people hear ‘nomad,’ they imagine leaving. But in practice, many make Korea their base and return repeatedly. Korea is only now entering the nomadic market — and this isn’t a passing trend. It’s going to be a significant front in the global competition for talent.”
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