Sudden career break due to spinal myelitis in his 30s
Park Jin-hee continues economic activities with a lodging sharing platform
Park Jin-hee is continuing economic activities again by operating tourist accommodation. Photos Park Jin-hee
What women need now is my money, not my parents’ money and my husband’s money. In a male-centered, patriarchal society, women’s’my money’ is not a simple’asset’, but a tool for independent and independent’my life’. In 1929, “British Woman” Virginia Woolf, in a book, said that in order to do what she wanted to do, she needed her own room and 500 pounds a year. In these words, it is my own space and cost of living. ‘My Money, My Life’ tells the story of a woman or a group that guides women in their financial independence and independent life.
“I have a career disconnection more quickly than others. Other people usually worry in my 40s, but I suddenly got sick and worried in my 30s. After getting a little better, I took a new challenge. It was my first time living alone, my first time out of the city, my first time in the lodging business, but as I slowly and little by little, I realized it.” Park Jin-hee, 43, who runs tourist accommodation through Airbnb, a lodging sharing platform in Nohyeong-dong, Jeju-si, was diagnosed with a rare disease at the age of 33. It was a time when I worked hard as an essay instructor teaching high school students entrance exams in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Even when I was still, my right arm hurt as if bursting, and walking for 20 minutes was difficult. It was a disease called “myelitis,” in which the spinal cord through which nerves pass was inflamed. Having been unable to engage in economic activities, he returned to Jeju Island alone after finishing his marriage in 2014. On the 5th, a written interview was conducted with Park Jin-hee, who has continued economic activities through the accommodation sharing platform. “One day, I suddenly got an unexpected illness. There was nothing I could do. I wasn’t able to socialize and stayed at home, but there was nothing I could do in the city, so it was very difficult. I made the decision to come to Jeju Island, which is green and warm all year round to take care of my body in my favorite nature.”
Hallasan can be seen close from the traveler’s lodge run by Park Jin-hee. Photos Park Jin-hee
I came to Jeju for health, but I had to pay my own living expenses. It was not easy for a woman in her thirties with weak physical strength to find a job in the region. After thinking about what he could do with the burden of commuting down, he decided to run an accommodation that would give travelers space. As you can see Hallasan, there is a mart within 5 to 7 minutes on foot, so we rented a building that is convenient for life to provide accommodation for tourists. They did the interior of the accommodation themselves, shared what they grew up in the garden with tourists, and built a new home. “There was a place in Jeju that asked me to work, but I wasn’t physically able to go to work regularly. By lending space to travelers, I started working again and engaged in economic activities. I usually receive short-term customers, and when I’m not feeling well, I can keep my job by receiving long-term customers.” There were times when it was difficult due to Corona 19, but Mr. Park said that his current life is satisfactory. Excluding the platform fee, rental fee, and operation fee from the accommodation fee of about KRW 100,000 per night, there is not much left, but his living expenses are sufficient. The digital platform created by the development of IT technology has created new jobs, and it has been a force for those who have difficulty finding jobs in the existing labor market, such as Park. “I am running a small accommodation because of my physical strength, but if I earn less and spend less, there is no big difficulty. Before coming to Jeju, I lived a life of earning a lot and consuming a lot. In Jeju, I live a satisfying life of self-sufficiency while spending less.”
The interior of Jeju tourist accommodation operated by Park Jin-hee. Photos Park Jin-hee
Nearly 60% of the guests of the’Jeju Little Forest Rental House’ run by Park are women. Girlfriends, old mothers and daughters, young children and young mothers, or women traveling alone stay on their way. Park said that female travelers seem to visit a lot because they feel’safety’ rather than anxiety at the hostel. “There is a good interior and clean virtues, but there are many such accommodations in Jeju Island. I think one of the reasons women come to our lodgings is because they think it’s safe because they have a house in the house, unlike hotels with a lot of anonymity.” The SNS, run by Mr. Park, is full of letters and photos written by customers in handwriting. The story of the workman who came to the end of parental leave and the pregnant woman who came with a baby in her belly is written with affection. From the hearty guestbooks written by travelers to the reply letter written by the owner, Park, the footsteps of travelers were piled up.
Handwritten letters from travelers.
Park Jin-hee, who has been operating tourist accommodation for the fifth year this year, told a single-person woman her age not to be afraid of changes and challenges in her life. There were things that touched him, and as he took a step, a new path was created. Park was selected as a model operator by Airbnb for the 15th consecutive quarter. “I started life in a strange land. I tried it with my heart and it worked. I hope women my age don’t hesitate to try a new life because of their age or because of their children.” By Kim Mi-hyang, staff reporter [email protected] ▶Shortcuts : [내돈내삶] Serialization
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