Korea's F-1-D visa was piloted starting January 2024 and only formally legislated on June 30, 2026, allowing stays of up to 3 years — the most generous of Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. This piece covers how Korea pairs this visa with local subsidies to weave Jeju, Busan, Incheon, and Gangwon into a coliving network.
Income thresholds tiered by age and location
During the pilot phase, everyone faced the same bar regardless of age or location: 2x GNI. The formal version tiers it — applicants aged 18-34 settling outside the capital region or in designated population-decline areas need just 1x GNI (about USD 37,000), and the bar steps up by age and location to a maximum of 2x GNI (about USD 74,000) for those settling in the capital region (Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi). The logic is blunt: lower the bar to funnel talent away from the capital. Applicants must prove they've actually lived outside the capital region for at least a month — a lease or an approved long-stay facility booking will do.
Maximum stay was extended from 2 to 3 years, but applicants must be employed by a foreign company (or self-employed for 1+ year) and are barred from profit-making work in Korea; they also need private medical insurance covering at least KRW 100 million (~USD 75,000).
Jeju: public workspace network + voucher subsidies
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is drafting its own "Jeju-exclusive visa," halving the income threshold (to roughly KRW 4.16 million/month) and letting governor-recommended nomads extend visa-free stays from 30 to 90 days. Since 2021, the island has hosted 80,000+ remote workers. The Hamdeok Workation Office, opened November 2025, is its third public workspace. Jeju's voucher program subsidizes up to KRW 50,000/night (capped at KRW 300,000) for nomads staying 3+ nights, redeemable at coliving brand O-Peace Jeju:
| Room type | Official rate/night | Subsidy/night | Out-of-pocket/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Double (Sagye) | ₩160,000 | ₩50,000 | ₩110,000 |
| Standard w/ jacuzzi | ₩170,000 | ₩50,000 | ₩120,000 |
| Standalone villa (Hamdeok) | ₩200,000 | ₩50,000 | ₩150,000 |
Busan: a harbor-city tech ecosystem
Busan Workation Central Center occupies the 24th floor of the Asti Hotel near Busan Station, with ocean-view open desks, video-call rooms, and phone booths. The government also backs four satellite hubs in Seo-gu, Jung-gu, Yeongdo-gu, and Geumjeong-gu to counter population decline. The official platform Busaness offers Agoda booking discounts, an OBUD wellness pass discount, and regular W-DAY community matchmaking events.
Incheon: short-run pop-ups with steep subsidies
Incheon's play is "limited-time, heavily subsidized." Its Summer Workation program, launching July 2026, combines the century-old Gaehangjang historic district with resort island Yeongjong-do into a pop-up coliving experience. The organizers provide lodging and participation subsidies — check the official announcement for current pricing and terms.
Gangwon: nature therapy and coastal work
Sokcho's "commute to the mountains, clock out at the sea" is a 3-day, 2-night program run jointly by the Gangwon Tourism Foundation and Sokcho city, converting the third floor of a beachside café into a workspace, paired with a Seoraksan cable car ride and beach sunrise meditation. Goseong County's Mangrove Goseong is a private chain brand — a 24-hour work lounge on the ground floor (day passes available to non-guests), ocean-view rooms on floors 2-4, doubles from KRW 160,000/night.
Hongseong and Seoul: two extremes
Hongseong is a showcase for traditional rural revitalization, converting disused country houses into coliving spaces where nomads help market local agricultural products on the side. Seoul doesn't qualify for the reduced non-capital thresholds, but Hoppin House in Yeonnam-dong is a physical gathering point for the Digital Nomads Korea (DNK) community, addressing the social isolation foreign residents feel in a megacity.
Two things worth knowing before you move
Tiered visa thresholds are essentially a floodgate steering talent toward the regions. Seoul has faced chronic overcrowding and sky-high housing costs for years; the central government lowering thresholds outside the capital is effectively using immigration policy as a tool to redirect globally mobile talent — priced out of Seoul — toward population-declining areas like Busan's Seo-gu or Jeju's Jocheon.
Private coliving brands are the subsidy intermediary, not the government itself. Jeju and Incheon don't build and run properties themselves — they issue vouchers, precisely subsidizing nomads who choose certified coliving spaces, while private brands handle the pain points (zero deposit, 24-hour shared workspace) that foreigners actually hit. This public-private model is the most systematic of the three markets.
Next up: Thailand — Asia's original digital nomad haven, and how the DTV visa strings Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and the islands into one ecosystem.