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visa is about much more than travel By Lilit Marcus, CNN 5 minute read Updated 10:19 PM EST, Sun February 25, 2024

Tourists and locals sit alongside the Han River in Seoul.Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images/File CNN

British YouTuber Ashley Humphries has made several videos about traveling in South Korea, including a tour of the DMZ and a visit to an abandoned theme park called Yongma Land."Digital nomad" or working vacation visas became increasingly popular during the pandemic, springing up everywhere from Dubai to the Cayman Islands."The new system will allow employees and employers in overseas firms to tour and work remotely in Korea for a longer period of time," reads a line from the report.But he's now interested in going there for more than just a holiday.

visa is about much more than travel
By Lilit Marcus, CNN
5 minute read
Updated 10:19 PM EST, Sun February 25, 2024

Tourists and locals sit alongside the Han River in Seoul. Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images/File
CNN
—
British YouTuber Ashley Humphries has made several videos about traveling in South Korea, including a tour of the DMZ and a visit to an abandoned theme park called Yongma Land.

But he’s now interested in going there for more than just a holiday. Humphries is one of the first round of applicants for a new “workation” visa the South Korean government launched in 2024.

The visa is valid for a maximum of two years and is aimed at remote workers like Humphries, whose Asia-centric travel channel is called Ashley’s Planet.

“Digital nomad” or working vacation visas became increasingly popular during the pandemic, springing up everywhere from Dubai to the Cayman Islands.

According to a report in the Korea Herald, South Korea’s Justice Ministry says the digital nomad visa will make remote work and vacations smoother for visitors.

“The new system will allow employees and employers in overseas firms to tour and work remotely in Korea for a longer period of time,” reads a line from the report.

Yet beneath the surface, 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.

Professor Jungho Suh, project director of the Korean Management Institute at George Washington University, believes that the workation visa is a “soft launch” for a bigger plan to bring more foreigners into Korea – and not only for career reasons.