Fripcamp: Coworking in Seogwipo, Jeju
While I was looking for a house after deciding to stay in Seogwipo, a Facebook ad caught my eye. Starting with "Work and travel at the same time!", the ad promoted an event encouraging people to combine work and travel in Jeju, offering a "30,000 KRW hotel subsidy and free coworking space rental." The terms were too good to pass up. My biggest problem coming to Seogwipo was finding furniture like a desk and chair, so I signed up immediately when I read they would lend out a coworking space. Unfortunately, my yearly rent (yeonse) wasn't eligible for the 30,000 KRW subsidy, but the coworking space alone made it completely worth it.
Time passed after I registered, and I finally visited for the first time after unpacking in Seogwipo. It takes about 15 minutes by car from my house, but driving isn't difficult since there is no traffic or reckless driving around the Seogwipo area. Because of that, it feels like a stress-free commute. The space temporarily took over the second-floor coffee shop of the 'Hey Seogwipo' hotel, and the view is absolutely amazing. I found myself staring at the scenery outside the window before I even unpacked my things. While I was marveling at it, the manager checked my temperature and explained how to use the facilities. Since they were trying to turn a cafe into a coworking space, I could see their efforts to make it look the part by bringing in monitors and setting out snacks. However, the view and the tables were so nice that those efforts were almost overshadowed.
It would have been great if Jeju had properly imitated Silicon Valley by building infrastructure like hospitals and universities back when Daum and Nexon (major Korean tech companies) were here, but the past is the past. For now, I think creating spaces for remote workers like this program is a great initiative at the local government level. Maybe because it is still early on, there aren't many people coming yet, but it is such a good program that I think more people will show up in the future. (Oh... actually, it got so crowded later that seating became tight.)
Renting a hotel cafe comes with the downside of not having a meeting room, but they solved this by renting out one of the guest rooms. Since there is only one, it gets inconvenient when there are a lot of people. It is almost impossible to book, but there is really no alternative. Because it is a hotel, the first floor is noisy, and it is hard to speak comfortably anywhere else. For something hastily put together as a temporary fix, it is a pretty good meeting room. There is even a bed in the meeting room, which makes me wonder, "Could I take a quick nap?"
Perhaps because it is a temporarily run program, there aren't any activities to activate a community. It's not like Fast Five or WeWork really have them either, but I wonder what it would be like to have programs like yoga or walking, just like their promotional phrases suggested. After all, the goal was to combine work and vacation.
What is really, truly a shame is that this great program ends in November. If it were at this level of quality for around the price of Fast Five, it is so good that I would seriously consider paying out of my own pocket to use it. Once this ends, I will have to work from nearby cafes or at home. I started my remote work in Seogwipo in a stable place with an incredible view, and just thinking about having to move to a worse spot already makes me feel at a loss.
If this gets good evaluations and receives funding and manpower from the city, and if the price is set reasonably, I would want to come here all year long during my yearly lease.