🫰You can do anything, with Frances

✨ You’re reading the DNK June 2025 Interview
💬 Contact: [email protected] 

Annyeong Digital Nomads Korea community !

Welcome to our interview of the month, where we put the spotlight on one of our community members. They’ll share their digital nomad story, how they experienced Korea (so far) and give you three personal recommendations at the end.

Why Korea? 

At the beginning of 2023, a friend said to me: ‘What are you watching on TV’? ‘Nothing, I answered. I don’t have time to watch TV.’ ‘Why don’t you watch Extraordinary Attorney Woo?, it’s a K-drama’, she said. That was it. Game over. I was hooked by the acting and storylines.

Well, that was quick. (Laughs.)

It was. (Laughs.) When watching it, I thought ‘No way. These people cannot be like this in real life.’ I loved the respect the characters gave each other. The humor was very similar to mine - a little quirky. I like that Korean actors are really good at crying. 

At crying? Oh, that’s a first (laughs).

The tears are so big (laughs). It’s almost like it’s not acting. It feels like the characters are truly living the storyline. I’ve tried to go back to US TV shows but they’re just not as believable.

How did you decide to take it a step further by traveling to Korea? 

All three of my kids are in the music industry. In 2023 my son was going on tour, I asked where he was going and he sent back the tour dates: China, Japan, Australia, NZ, Korea… I didn’t have to think twice, I asked ‘Do you need someone to sell the t-shirts?’ and he sent me back flight options. It felt like a sign. I really didn’t think I was an adventurous person, and wondered - could I do really this? I figured I’d go to bed and sleep on it, which I did. I woke up first thing in the morning, booked the flight, and the rest is history! (Laughs.) 

Can’t believe you thought you weren’t adventurous (laughs). How did that first trip go? 

Koreans were so friendly. They’d sit beside me on the subway train, speak to me, and offer me those marshmallow pies covered in chocolate. If I was looking at my phone and trying to determine where to go, people would always offer to help me. Some even got on the train with me, to take me directly to my destination. Which is kind of insane. People just don’t do that, nowadays. I liked it so much that I asked my kids when they’d be touring Korea again - which turned out to be the next year. I decided to book two weeks to come to Seoul in the Summer of 2024. 

I don’t think you’ve left since, right? 

No. Two weeks turned into many more (laughs). I’m a leadership coach and dietitian, so I like visualizing what I want and why I want it. I was training on this model I didn’t know at the time -  the WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacles, Plan) model. My Wish was simple - have an extended stay in Korea. Outcome? Increased confidence, learn the language (possibly), and learn about food and health. Obstacles were… fear? A little bit of it - most digital nomads and long-term travelers are in their twenties or thirties. My Plan was already underfoot, I had already downloaded a house-sitting app where people look for someone to care for their pets while they’re on vacation. I found one on Jeju Island for 5 weeks and was offered the gig after a rigorous interview. My two-week trip to Seoul had been extended to 7 weeks!

Did you get a visa after that, to be able to stay so long?

I became part of the Digital Nomads Korea community in 2023 and discovered there was a visa for digital nomads that fit my situation pretty well. So when I came in May 2024 I took all the documents required for the visa with me. I went to the immigration office in Jeju and amazingly was approved for the digital nomad visa! My visa has recently been extended for a second year. It’s kind of insane. I came on vacation and didn’t go home…  and you can do that too!

Did the Digital Nomads Community help you a lot with the process of applying for the visa?

Yes. DNK was an instant community for me. People are so knowledgeable about Korea and open to sharing their experiences. To have someone saying ‘I understand what you’re asking, this is how it went for me’ was so helpful in the visa process. I also attended the events for dinner, and people will tell you about all sorts of helpful things, like a plan for cell phones, how to find an apartment… Basically, everything you need to navigate life here. I’ve also gone to Busan for two weeks with DNK, and I would do that again. 

Do you mean the Hoppin Busan workation? 

Yes, it was so nice getting away from Seoul. I loved Busan. I don’t know if I’d like to live there, the beach was lovely, and there was early morning hiking with DNK friends. There was also a scary cable car ride which I’m pretty sure it was way too windy to be that far up in the air on a thin wire rope. The DNK team had events arranged, there was a coworking space, Muay Thai lessons, lots of food as always, and a visit to the Arte Museum... It really is an instant community of like-minded people. 

Where else do you find friends and people to hang out with? 

There are two places I look to connect: the gym and the church. They’re both great to get grounded, like when I lived in the US. And Toastmasters! It’s a meetup for people who want to get better at public speaking. I often recommend Toastmasters to my clients and I recently joined the Yeouido club. I had heard that Koreans can be distant and closed to foreigners, in my experience they’re just so welcoming. My next goal is walking dogs. When I walk dogs in LA and everyone speaks to you. ‘Oh, your dogs are so cute.’ I want to volunteer at a dog shelter, walk dogs - and hopefully not take one home (laughs). 

Do you think being a coach helped you with the whole process of settling in Seoul? 

Coaching helps with everything, it’s about being really curious and asking lots of questions - which is very helpful when you’re a serious introvert like me. Sometimes, it’s described as having a mirror, so that you can see yourself more clearly. 

What do you mean?

The coach will ask questions for you to come to the decision yourself, to figure out yourself. Because I help people become more courageous, I feel like I have to be courageous myself. It would feel dishonest to encourage others to be courageous and not step into that discomfort myself. 

Is the goal to travel around or stay in Korea all the time? 

My goal, for now, is to stay in Korea. My son is coming to Asia in the winter, I’ll go wherever he is, to see him perform. Might be China, Malaysia, Singapore... With the life we all have it’s easier if I go where my children are and, then, we go see some sights together. 

Do you think you’re having a different experience than the average nomad because of your age? 

Korean society is very hierarchical so I think Koreans are respectful towards age, except in the subway! (Laughs.) No one gives up their seat, it’s crazy - young people sitting when the elderly are standing. I attended intensive Korean classes at Yonsei University and the cut-off age for regular classes on the website says 65. There is a bit of ageism in that respect, but it doesn’t worry me. I’ll go and knock on some doors if I want to study. Age is like any belief. If you think it’s going to be a problem, it will be a problem. 

Is that something you also tell your clients?

Yeah! You know, it’s funny, I do group coaching online. I was doing the WOOP model with them, and I said: ‘What’s your wish? Think about a wish, a big one. Don’t think small.’ People told me things like ‘Oh I want my team to get on well together.’ or ‘Work-life balance!’. I tell them to think again. Those aren’t big dreams. Two of the participants ended up having to come out of their shared office to dare say what their real wish was, because they didn’t want their colleagues to hear it. Those are big dreams.

Why do you think we’re so sure dreams are dreams, that we can’t achieve them in real life? 

I think it happens when we’re kids. Something or someone shuts the possibilities down. We’ve got big dreams until we get to middle school or high school and then something happens… In my case, I wanted to be a dietitian at 15. My career advisor at school told me I wasn’t good at maths or chemistry and that it wouldn’t be possible.  Imagine how hard it was going to university for the first time at 47! And becoming a dietitian at 52. We should not let others crush our dreams… ever!

So, Korea is your big dream? 

I’m so happy I took the leap. I’m here. I’m settled. Every day is an adventure. I can schedule new experiences: try a theme cafe, find azaleas… My kids are so proud of me. I think it's the weirdest thing. ‘I’m so proud of what you’re doing’, they say. Other people will say ‘You’re very brave to do what you’re doing’. I don’t feel brave, or even adventurous. Visiting Seoul was probably one of the first times that I felt I belonged somewhere rather than trying to fit in. 

Why do you think you only tried it now? Do you think this dream of moving away was something you always had in you? Or was it born from discovering Korean culture? 

I think I was always doing what others deemed as ‘the responsible thing’. Get a job, settle down, get married, have kids… Once I saw my kids travelling and seeing their adventures I thought ‘Oh I want to do that’. I said to my daughter: ‘I want to be like you when I grow up - you’re so brave’. And she said, ‘But mom, I want to be like you!’. We feed off each other. It’s beautiful, honestly. It makes both our worlds bigger. My sons, also, are great encouragers and so wise. They give the best advice and hugs! So, I’d say, seeing my kids’ adventures and discovering Korean culture, that’s how the dream was born.

 💚 Frances’ Recommendations

+ 🤖 The Seoul Drone Light Show, a drone show by the river 
+ 📱 Preply, an app to find tutors for Korean lessons
+ ✂️ The Days Hair, a hair salon that’s not scared of Western hair