Coffee at Daum café, Jeju, South Korea

January 28, 2009 by Jenie Hahn
Filed under: Coffee Shops

Dolharubang with laptop
Even Jeju’s treasured Dolharubang is down with Daum | Credit: Jenie Hahn

Delicious coffee and free Wi-Fi in futuristic setting
Story and photos by Jenie Hahn

You might be familiar with the name ‘Daum’ which is one of the leading internet portal sites in Korea. Its headquarters are in Seoul but its research media center is right here on Jeju, home to about 200 employees. At Daum café, located inside the media center, you can use your laptop for an unlimited time to access the internet, while sipping a cup of delicious Italian coffee and browsing through the latest bestsellers (Korean only). Unobtrusive electric outlets are scattered around the floor to power your machine too.

Since opening in February 2006 it has been welcoming a select number of people who are privy to this hideaway café. At first glance, one might not realize that the building houses some of the most successful communications projects in Korea, from Agora to TV Pot, a video file-searching site and “Blogger News,” a citizen journalism service. However, upon entering the 13,223 square meter building you’ll be greeted with a sleek cafe and an internet booth, in which employees chat over coffee. Befitting its hi-tech facility, there is also a Wii set up right in the front lounge and anyone who is game enough can have a go at it. You are allowed to roam around freely within the café on the first floor but need to be an employee or form a group of 10 or more for a visitor tour to enter the inner part of the building.

There is one major drawback however: no public transportation to the location is available. Therefore private arrangements are a must. The headquarters is located on the Jeongsil Road (a road between Sinjeju and Jeju National University). See map for details.

The Daum café is worth a visit to hang out with friends or on your own just for the whole experience.

The cafe
The cozy cafe | Credit: Jenie Hahn