CNN has spotlighted a new employment visa recently introduced by the South Korean government as a potential remedy to the country’s population crisis, which stems from its low birth rate. Dubbed the Workation Visa, this permit enables remote workers to reside in South Korea for up to two years, facilitating both remote work and leisure within the country.
In a report dated Feb. 22, CNN stated, “Some South Korea experts believe these visas are about more than just ease of travel – they’re a possible avenue for increasing the workforce in a country with a devastatingly low birth rate.”
Since Jan. 1 of this year, the South Korean Ministry of Justice has been running a pilot program for this visa type, aiming to attract high-earning foreign professionals who work remotely while traveling the world. However, employment or profit-making activities within South Korea are restricted, necessitating a separate work visa for domestic employment. Initially, the duration of stay is one year from the date of entry, with the option to extend for up to two years.
CNN cited Professor Jungho Suh’s analysis. Suh, who serves as the project director of the Korean Management Institute at George Washington University, expressed his belief that the Workation Visa represents a “soft launch” for a larger strategy to draw more foreigners to South Korea, not solely for career purposes. “Maybe by enforcing this new visa policy,” said Suh, “the government is trying to lead the agenda or to lead the discussion to normalize social mix between ethnicities or between Koreans and non-Koreans.”
Unlike other Asian countries and regions such as Hong Kong, Thailand, and the Indonesian island of Bali, which boast significant numbers of foreign residents, South Korea’s population is relatively homogeneous. This homogeneity, as suggested by Suh, may be one of the factors contributing to the country’s low birth rate.
InterNations, renowned as the world’s largest online community for expatriates, rated South Korea poorly in the “Ease of Settling In” category of its annual user survey. This category included inquiries regarding the friendliness of locals and the ease of navigating without fluency in the local language. South Korea ranked 50th out of 53 countries in the Expat Insider roundup of the best countries for relocation, surpassing only Turkey, Norway, and Kuwait.
According to Statistics Korea, South Korea’s fertility rate, representing the average number of births per woman during her lifetime, is projected to decline from 0.78 in 2022 to 0.65 in 2025. Over the past three years, the country has experienced more deaths than births.
For those interested in working from South Korea, the new visa presents an opportunity. Jeong Hyun Cho, the founder of Hoppers, a community for remote workers and foreigners residing in South Korea, informed CNN that upon the announcement of the workation visa, it quickly became “the hottest topic” in the Digital Nomads Korea WhatsApp group and other online platforms facilitated by Hoppers. In a survey of 1,300 members, Jeong reported that 83% expressed interest in applying for the new visa.
However, while acknowledging South Korea’s high ratings for infrastructure, public transit, Wi-Fi, and other amenities, Jeong pointed out significant challenges the country faces: high living costs. According to Digital Nomad World, a website monitoring trends for remote workers, the average individual will spend $2,050 per month to live in Seoul, including expenses for housing, food, transportation, and co-working spaces.
Some argue that the visa requirements are too strict for many potential applicants. To qualify for the visa, applicants must demonstrate an annual income of at least 85 million won ($65,000) from a non-Korean company, provide evidence of health insurance, and present a clean criminal record.
