East of Jeju Island, in Sehwa-ri, Gujwa-eup, known for its carrots, there is the Jilgeuraengi Center, a spot known for workation (Work+Vacation). "Jilgeuraengi" is a Jeju dialect word meaning "gently." Many young office workers seeking to combine work and rest visit this place.
The Jilgeuraengi Center is being noted as a new lifeline for rural towns facing extinction due to aging populations. Since the Jilgeuraengi Center opened in 2021, employees from various corporations such as LG Electronics and Hyundai Heavy Industries have visited. Industries range from manufacturing, finance, and services to distribution. Office workers who visit the center work while also enjoying their vacations.
Yang Gun-mo, producer of the Sehwa Village Cooperative, who oversees operations at the Jilgeuraengi Center, said, "Many follow a '3+2' work pattern, working three days in Seoul and taking two days of workation in Jeju," adding, "On Thursdays and Fridays they work during the day and enjoy Jeju at night. On weekends they often combine travel or surfing with personal hobbies."
The Jilgeuraengi Center took its first step as a village community project. Facing the threat of the village disappearing due to aging and population outflow, 477 residents of Sehwa-ri formed a cooperative to address the issue.
They remodeled an old welfare town using government funds from the rural central hub revitalization project. The Jilgeuraengi Center, which opened in 2020, houses the village office and traveler center on the first floor, the cafe "477+" on the second floor, and shared offices and lodging on the third and fourth floors.
The cafe name "477+" includes the number of people who initially participated in the cooperative. The "+" expresses the hope that more people will take part. The cafe sells beverages and ready meals made with Jeju ingredients. It also sells goods produced by the local children's center.
The lodging offers a variety of rooms from single to four-person rooms. Rooms with views of Darangshi Oreum and Sehwa Beach are known as "view hotspots." Yang, the producer, said, "The off-season occupancy rate is 75%, and in peak season it reaches 100%," adding, "The revisit rate is also 38%, showing high satisfaction."
Efforts for local coexistence are also continuing. The center provides "restaurant postcards" that introduce local popular eateries. If visitors submit a postcard to the featured restaurant, they receive a complimentary beverage service.
The center collects the postcards quarterly to analyze the sales effect on the local business district. As of last year, 902 postcards were submitted to 11 shops, and total sales exceeded 35 million won. Considering the lodging capacity limit of the center, a "village hotel" system linked with local pensions was also introduced.
Programs introducing local cultural and tourism heritage are also being operated. Representative examples include the Darangshi Oreum tour, a 2-night, 3-day haenyeo diving experience, and a 3-night, 4-day local resident experience (Sehwa Stay).
The Jilgeuraengi Center is cited as a model case of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' "rural renewal hub village" project. In 2022 it was selected as an excellent example of "quality of life" by the ministry. Last year it was also chosen as an "outstanding tourism village" by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
The government is currently promoting the "rural renewal hub village" project using the Jilgeuraengi Center as a model. The aim is to create hub villages in countrysides facing extinction to increase the resident population who stay for periods and, further, to boost the number of people returning to farming and rural living. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has set a goal to create one site per city and county in 111 general agricultural and fishing areas by 2030.
As pilot projects, Gimje and Gochang in North Jeolla Province and Miryang in South Gyeongsang Province have been selected, and the projects will begin next year. In Juksan-myeon, Gimje, North Jeolla Province, an abandoned brewery will be remodeled to create local startup spaces and a youth startup street. In Hanam-eup, Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, a tourism experience belt combining a campground, agricultural experience, and landscape specialization will be created. In the Heungdeok and Seongnae areas of Gochang, North Jeolla Province, a runcation center and a stay-type complex will be built utilizing ecological resources.
Yang Gun-mo, the producer, said, "When people from Seoul come to the countryside for workation and spend money, the local economy revives," estimating, "One workation visitor spends about 450,000 to 500,000 won a week, so with 20 people that would generate about 8 million to 10 million won in local spending per week."