Workation in Mokpo — 4 Recommended Spots for a Successful Workation in Mokpo

Workation in Mokpo — 4 Recommended Spots for a Successful Workation in Mokpo

It takes just two and a half hours from Seoul to Mokpo by KTX, and about ten minutes on foot from the train station to reach the old town center. Nestled at the foot of Mount Yudalsan, which sits squarely in the heart of the city, this is a place where modern architectural heritage greets you at every turn. With its convenient access and abundance of elements that awaken a sense of the unfamiliar, Mokpo is an ideal workation destination. Here are some spots to help you work and play happily in Mokpo.

Words & Photos Parc Jinmyoung

If You Want to Fill Your Head with New Stimuli: Gubo Project

A three-minute walk from Mokpo Station brings you to Gubo Project, a red-brick building that blends seamlessly into the old neighborhood. Spanning multiple floors of a single building, this space encompasses a bookstore, café, and *stay, all run by the married couple Ttaengju and Dongdong, who moved down from Seoul. As one might guess, the project takes its name from the novel “A Day in the Life of Kubo the Novelist.” Although the novel is set in Seoul, the couple felt that Mokpo’s old town center, which still retains the atmosphere of the Japanese colonial era depicted in the book, was a fitting namesake for their bookstore.

* Gubo Stay, located on the second floor, consists of three rooms in total. Each room is equipped with a table and bedding, and the shared common area is surrounded by books, making it a great space to stay and work alone.

The couple, who had worked in the publishing industry for many years, left behind their busy, hectic city life and moved to Mokpo in 2021. With no prior connection to the area, they fell in love with the old-town atmosphere they encountered while traveling by train, and purchased a long-abandoned inn building. They say the slow-paced lifestyle of the elderly locals and the creaky, worn-out building gave them, unexpectedly, a sense of vitality and stability. The first floor, where the bookstore and café now sit, was originally intended to be used as a workspace, but as they sorted through the books they had carried down from Seoul, it naturally turned into a bookstore. While most of the books are for sale, there is also a shelf reserved for the couple’s personal collection, offering a glimpse into their tastes. It’s also fun to browse the various printed materials gathered from shop signs, exhibitions, and events, as well as old furniture collected from around the neighborhood, and to hear the stories behind them. If you point to a cabinet or bookshelf that once belonged to a herbal medicine shop or a medical equipment store and ask the couple, ‘Where did this come from?’, they’ll happily tell you the story.

If Mokpo’s Nights Feel Too Long: Apéro

For solo travelers, the loneliest and most tedious moment might be right after dinner. But in Mokpo, that worry can be set aside. Located behind Mount Yudalsan from the old town center, Apéro is a wine bar opened by two friends who met in Haenam, Jeollanam-do, and decided to join forces. The name Apéro comes from the road connecting Mokpo and Sinan, and when pronounced aloud, it also sounds like the French word ‘apéro’ (short for apéritif), meaning a pre-dinner drink. True to its name, the space envisions connecting people, regions, and cultures through wine. The overall branding was handled by Kim Jiyeon, who studied fashion in France for 15 years, while Lee Uhaeng, who has deep knowledge of wine and experience running local businesses, oversees the bar’s operations.

When first conceiving Apéro, Kim Jiyeon recalled the evening routines she experienced in France. The idea of trying out the apéritif culture — drinking before a meal to whet the appetite — in Mokpo stemmed from that memory. Since the bar aims for a casual atmosphere, wine can be ordered by the glass, and you don’t necessarily need to order food. The space also hosts various community experiments. They’ve held gatherings with Gubo Chaekbang to read books over wine, and every Friday they open ‘soirée,’ an evening gathering inspired by French party culture, creating a new venue for people to meet. If Mokpo’s nights feel endless, knock on Apéro’s door. Jiyeon, the warm storyteller who greets you kindly, and Uhaeng, who quietly pours excellent wine beside her, will fill your Mokpo nights with warmth.

If You Want to Travel Back in Time to the Old Town’s Past: Stay Cassette Player

In 1897, the Korean Empire opened Mokpo Port to accept a variety of goods and ideas from abroad, and a city center formed around it. The streets, always bustling with outsiders, became lined with lodging houses and guesthouses. Over time, the city expanded beyond its original boundaries, but the old town center, which still retains the original form of the modern city, remains home to several old, weathered lodging spaces. Stay Cassette Player is likewise a space created by purchasing and rebranding a roughly 30-year-old inn building (formerly Woojinjang). The project was led by Park Myeongho, head of Gongjang Gongjang, a village enterprise founded by young people who relocated to the area. Park, who has now lived in Mokpo for seven years, wanted to revive the street’s past more vividly, and so opened a retro-styled stay — one meant to embody the idea of a well-worn cassette tape, played over and over, evoking a place where you can focus solely on rest and unwind at your own pace.

The three-story building has 12 rooms in total. The first floor consists of independent-style rooms with three bedrooms and a living room, while the second floor houses a kitchen for simple cooking and meals, a listening room where guests can enjoy cassette tapes, and six rooms for one or two guests. The third floor, with three rooms for one or two guests, can also be booked in its entirety, accommodating up to six people as a private unit. It combines the affordability of a guesthouse, the privacy of a pension, and the shared-space appeal of a community hotel, all in one. In a space filled with old songs, floral curtains, and wooden beaded curtains, middle-aged visitors may find themselves reminiscing, while younger guests may discover something entirely new.

If You Missed Lunch: Magia Lake

These days, it’s hard to find a restaurant anywhere without a break time between meals. If you’re working up a storm in Mokpo and miss lunch, head straight to the brunch café Magia Lake without hesitation. Every morning, the chef-wife lovingly prepares a home-style meal for her husband, and you can enjoy it too. The name itself—a blend of the wife’s stage name ‘Magia’ and the English word for her husband’s name ‘Hosu’ (lake)—radiates the couple’s affection for one another.
Magia moved to Mokpo after marrying Park Hosu, a chef who had been working in Seoul’s Itaewon before relocating to Mokpo, and together they opened a Western-style restaurant called Magia Resto in 2019. Three years ago, they decided to turn the brunch menu they enjoyed at home into a dedicated brunch restaurant. While the couple had only been mulling over the idea, a regular customer at Magia Resto suggested they open a brunch café in his building. The result is Magia Lake, set in a house with a small but beautiful yard. Renovated by the couple themselves in a semi-DIY style, the space evokes a European café. Inside, it’s filled with vintage objects and furniture the two have lovingly collected over the years, and cute posters drawn by designer Park Hosu’s younger sister decorate the walls throughout.

The couple’s tastes are reflected in the menu as well. The Magia Plate, featuring vegetables and toast that highlight the natural flavors of the ingredients, is a favorite of the wife, while the Hosu Plate, made with ham, bacon, eggs, and other items that appeal to her meat-loving husband, is the signature dish. All the food is made with fresh ingredients sourced every morning from Mokpo Market. The café currently operates only two days a week, Wednesday and Thursday, matching Magia Resto’s days off—meaning the couple themselves have no days off at all during the week. They’re currently looking to hire staff in order to expand Magia Lake’s operating hours, so if you’re enjoying a workation in Mokpo and find yourself drawn to life there (or simply love cooking), applying might be a great idea.