Busan’s workation program is being promoted as a booming success, with participation doubling in 2024. But is this growth organic or simply fueled by government subsidies?
BUSAN, South Korea - Busan is positioning itself as South Korea’s premier workation destination, claiming that the number of participants in its remote work tourism program has doubled over the past year. According to city officials, more than 10,000 people have now taken part in the initiative, with 6,900 in 2024 alone—a significant jump from 3,300 in 2023. The program, aimed at attracting remote workers and digital nomads, has been hailed as a success story in revitalizing the city’s economy and combating population decline.
But beyond the headline numbers, questions remain about whether this growth is sustainable. The initiative has been heavily subsidized by the government, with participants receiving free co-working spaces, accommodation discounts, and tourism vouchers. Without these financial incentives, it is unclear whether Busan would still be considered a genuine workation hub. Moreover, in a global market where cities like Lisbon, Chiang Mai, and Seoul are competing for the attention of remote workers, can Busan truly stand out?
City officials have been quick to highlight the program’s exponential growth, but a deeper examination raises questions about what these figures actually represent. The 6,900 participants reported in 2024 do not necessarily reflect 6,900 unique individuals. The data includes repeat visitors, meaning that someone participating in multiple events or staying for an extended period could be counted more than once.
Even if the growth figures are accurate, Busan’s total workation participation remains small compared to global counterparts. Cities like Bali, Chiang Mai, and Lisbon attract tens of thousands of remote workers annually, many of whom stay for months at a time, drawn by established digital nomad communities, visa programs, and low living costs. Even within South Korea, Seoul offers a more developed infrastructure for remote workers, with a stronger startup ecosystem and more international accessibility.
If Busan’s numbers were truly indicative of a significant trend, it would be expected that detailed breakdowns would be made available—how many participants were international? How many were long-term visitors rather than short-term tourists? How many converted their stay into a more permanent relocation? Without these answers, the city’s claims of success remain largely anecdotal.
The most significant driver of Busan’s workation boom may not be organic demand but rather direct government intervention. Participants in the program receive substantial financial incentives, including free access to co-working spaces, accommodation discounts of ₩50,000 per night, and tourism vouchers. These incentives lower the cost of living significantly, making the program attractive to those who might not have otherwise considered Busan as a destination.
While such subsidies can effectively boost participation in the short term, they raise concerns about the long-term viability of the initiative. Workation hotspots that have successfully established themselves globally—such as Portugal, Indonesia, and Thailand—do not rely on constant financial incentives to attract remote workers. Instead, they offer strong visa programs, tax benefits, and established communities that make them desirable locations for digital nomads year-round.
If Busan were to withdraw its subsidies, would the numbers continue to grow, or would participation decline as quickly as it rose? The absence of clear data on how many workation participants return without financial support suggests that the program may not yet have the self-sustaining momentum that officials claim.
Beyond financial incentives, Busan faces stiff competition in attracting long-term remote workers. While the city offers coastal scenery, a lower cost of living compared to Seoul, and expanding co-working spaces, it lacks some of the key components that make other destinations more attractive to digital nomads.
One major challenge is the absence of a workation visa. Countries such as Portugal, Thailand, and Dubai offer dedicated digital nomad visas, allowing remote workers to stay long-term and integrate into the local economy. South Korea, on the other hand, does not currently provide a visa tailored for this purpose, making it more difficult for foreign professionals to remain in Busan beyond the limits of a tourist stay.
Language barriers also remain an issue. While Seoul has a larger English-speaking workforce and international startup scene, Busan is still heavily Korean-speaking, making it less accessible for foreign remote workers who rely on English-friendly workspaces and networking opportunities.
While Busan’s initiative has introduced new workation hubs, including two additional satellite co-working centers in 2025, there is little transparency regarding their actual usage rates. Are these spaces truly in demand, or are they being built simply to reinforce the narrative of growth? Without data on occupancy and retention, it is difficult to assess whether these spaces are genuinely needed or merely a symbolic expansion.
One of the most ambitious claims tied to Busan’s workation initiative is that it can help reverse population decline by attracting remote workers to live in the city. But there is no clear evidence to support this idea.
Busan, like many other South Korean cities, faces a declining birth rate and an aging population, exacerbated by the steady migration of young professionals to Seoul in search of better job opportunities. While workation programs might bring in short-term visitors, there is no data to suggest that these participants convert into permanent residents.
If the program were truly helping to increase Busan’s long-term population, the government would likely highlight figures showing how many remote workers have chosen to settle in the city beyond the workation period. However, the absence of such data suggests that this impact remains minimal at best.
In reality, the workation initiative may be less of an economic revitalization tool and more of a tourism strategy, designed to attract temporary visitors rather than establish a long-term remote workforce.
Busan’s push to brand itself as a workation-friendly city is not without merit. The government’s efforts have undeniably brought attention to remote work opportunities in South Korea’s second-largest city, and the expansion of co-working spaces may have long-term benefits for local professionals. However, the current narrative surrounding the program seems exaggerated in its claims of sustained growth and long-term economic impact.
For Busan to become a true global workation destination, the city will need to move beyond short-term subsidies and focus on structural changes that make it competitive on the global stage. This includes introducing a workation visa, strengthening its English-friendly infrastructure, and fostering a more integrated startup and remote work community.
Until these elements are in place, Busan’s workation program may remain less of a digital nomad hotspot and more of a government-backed tourism initiative with an uncertain future.
