[Report] "Empty Even at Lunch" Pangyo Emptied by Prolonged Remote Work

A quiet lunch hour in the restaurant-dense area of Pangyo Techno Valley, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] "It’s even hard to get coffee," said Pangyo, where there are no people on the streets. On the afternoon of the 3rd, the Pangyo Techno Valley area was so quiet that it felt deserted. As Pangyo shifted to remote work mode, the usually bustling area in front of the NCSoft headquarters was calm.

Kim (38), a developer at NCSoft who came to work as essential personnel, said, "I have worked in Pangyo for seven years, but this is the first time I have seen so few people," adding, "This area is densely packed with companies, so there are always many people at this time, but now it feels like a weekend." Choi (33), an employee at Nexon, said, "Except for some HR staff and about 20 essential workers, almost no one has come to the office," and added, "Calling it a ghost town is not an exaggeration."

It is also difficult to find customers at restaurants near Pangyo U-Space, where many restaurants and cafes are concentrated. The common saying among office workers in Pangyo that "it’s hardest to get coffee in Pangyo" has also been broken. Choi Chul (50), who runs a cafe near Kakao’s headquarters, said, "Compared to usual, the number of customers is less than a third," and lamented, "Since Kakao started remote work last week, sales have dropped sharply."

Tension spread in Pangyo after the first confirmed COVID-19 case appeared in the gaming industry. An employee of Identity Games in Yeoksam-dong tested positive, and this employee’s spouse worked at Smilegate in Pangyo.

Smilegate disinfected the building, gave paid leave, and then switched to a remote work system for 15 days. Companies are introducing remote and telecommuting systems to prepare for the worst-case scenario where employees get infected with COVID-19 and work is paralyzed, but there are limitations such as decreased work efficiency and slower decision-making. Nam (42), an employee at Smilegate, explained, "We often work with Chinese companies, but because both China and Korea are doing remote work due to COVID-19, the work speed has slowed down, which is inconvenient."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.