Annyeonghaseyo.
We are putting together a small popup village in Sokcho this June, and we thought we would write to you about it directly, the way one might describe a thing to a friend, instead of behind the glass of a brochure.
You have probably tried a workation by now. A program flies you to a new city, hands you a desk in some empty co-working office, and disappears. You work alone in the morning. You eat alone at lunch. You fly home with a stamp in your passport and no real reason to ever return. We have done this too, and we found it sad.
Sokcho Sprint is the version we wanted. Twelve people — Korean and foreign, founder and freelancer, the ambitious and the merely curious — sharing a stretch of coast for four days. We rent the rooms, set the rhythm, and otherwise stay out of your way. Mornings begin with a run along Cheongchoho Lake (청초호). Days are for your own deep work. Evenings are the cohort’s — a long dinner, sometimes a talk one of you wants to give, sometimes nothing more than the second bottle of wine.
What we are trying to do, simply, is fill in the pieces that the ordinary workation leaves out. The introductions. The slow meals. The reason to come back to a place once you have left it.
Program
- Co-working
- Work alongside other participants and enjoy the chatter, or just the ambience if you need to focus.
- Social Dining
- Enjfoy great food in Sokcho with other participants, during our group dinners or spontaneous meals around the lake.
- Morning Runs
- Wake up and start the day with a run around the lake with Sokcho locals and other participants. Then ease into co-working or cafe hopping.
- Sharing Circles
- We will have opportunities to share our work, our hobbies, and our stories, through guided sessions.
Schedule
- We will have an orientation and our welcome dinner this evening, where participants and After participants have arrived in Sokcho, we will have an orientation dinner Participants arrive in Sokcho through the day. Arrivals trickle in through the afternoon. We gather for the welcome dinner and a quiet orientation — names, projects, who is up for a morning run, who is on which floor. The first dinner is on us.
- Run before breakfast along the lake. Co-working at the Nomad Office until lunch, which we take together. The afternoon is yours. In the evening, dinner with a short talk or workshop offered by one of the cohort.
- Another run, another shared lunch. The work hours shift to the cafés south of the lake — we will have one or two anchored, and the rest is improvisation. Dinner again, another talk if there is one to give.
- A final morning run and a long farewell coffee or lunch. By the afternoon the village dissolves. For those staying through the weekend, an optional group dinner.
- The Sokcho Sprint group chat will remain online for partcipants to continue the popup village period into the weekend and onward…
FAQ
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We are looking for Korean and foreign participants that embrace the digital nomad or remote work lifestyle. Those that are eager to live and work in Sokcho together, even for just a few days.
You should have a project to work on. Or are in the process of discovering your next project, job, or client. Whatever you work on doesn’t have to be ICT related.
Participants should be able to communicate in conversational English, even if limited.
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- Apply for your Sokcho Sprint passport.
- If you've been accepted, join the private KakaoTalk group that you will be given a link to.
- Book your own accomodation around Cheongchoho Lake, ideally within walking distance of Pinoda (피노디아). Or coordinate via KakaoTalk to potentially share pensions with other participants.
- Join us on Tuesday June 16 for orientation and the welcome dinner!
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From Seoul, the easiest way is to book an intercity bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal (서울고속버스터미널) to Sokcho Express Bus Terminal (속초고속버스터미널). This trip is about 2.5 hours.
You can purchase a ticket through Klook or at the station. But it is recommended to book ahead of time via Klook to secure a seat.
You can also take an intercity bus from Incheon Airport Terminal 1 (ICN, 인천국제공항 제1여객터미널) to Sokcho Express Bus Terminal. But this cannot be booked easily online by foreigners. So a ticket needs to be purchased at the kiosk. Buses depart 4 times per day.
Sokcho Express Bus Terminal is near Cheongchoho Lake, where our popup village is located.
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No, accomodation is not provided in this program.
We expect those visting Sokcho will book their own accomodation around Cheongchoho Lake, ideally within walking distance of Pinoda (피노디아). Or coordinate via KakaoTalk to potentially share pensions with other participants.
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Every day we will have a scheduled event that we would like all participants to participate in, such as specific group dinners or sharing sessions. The specific times will be communicated so you can plan accordingly. But we understand that obligations may prevent participants from attending these events.
But the rest of the day is up to you and other participants! We will have a morning run club, co-working sessions, and lunch breaks that you are free to participate in as much as you are able to.
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The Sokcho Sprint group chat will remain after the program ends on Friday. Participants and Sokcho locals are free to organize and do things together to extend the popup village period, as some participants may wish to stay in Sokcho longer.
Get Your Passport
Write to us. Tell us what you are working on, why Sokcho, and whether you would like to give a talk. A paragraph is plenty. We read every note.
— The organizers,
on Cheongchoho Lake, Sokcho