When Shin Hye-sung left the state-run Korea Development Bank in 2012 to start a crowdfunding platform, he wasn’t chasing unicorns. He was looking out for overlooked potential: early-stage entrepreneurs with good ideas but few backers. That vision became Wadiz, now South Korea’s largest crowdfunding platform, with 6.8 million users and more than 83,000 campaigns raising a combined 1.3 trillion won ($928 million). After more than a decade helping domestic startups raise capital from fans and early

To grasp the pulse of South Korea’s trend-sensitive beauty scene, few barometers are more telling than 3CE Stylenanda -- a K-beauty brand where the pink-hued palettes reflect Seoul’s ever-evolving youth culture. In an industry that churns out new beauty brands every season, 3CE has endured since its beginnings in 2004, originally starting as a fashion brand before launching its makeup line in 2009. Even after its 2018 acquisition by French cosmetics giant L'Oreal for roughly 600 billion won ($43

From helping local travelers book a night’s stay in Korea to developing AI solutions for the travel industry, Yanolja Cloud has emerged as a bold case study in global travel tech transformation. What began in 2007 as a modest accommodation reservation app for youngsters in Korea has since gradually evolved into a concept of a global travel tech powerhouse. At the helm is Yanolja Cloud CEO Kim Jong-yoon, whose vision of vertical AI — not just smart, but travel-smart — is steering the company beyo

Chon Kyung-hun, founder and CEO of Passion Gukbap, holds a simple yet powerful vision close to his heart: to make gukbap, a Korean staple dish of rice and soup, a global phenomenon. With more than 300 Passion Gukbap restaurants across the country, he is now preparing to take the brand overseas. “My aim for this year is to serve at the APEC’s VIP dinner, which will be held in Gyeongju, a city steeped in history,” Chon told The Korea Herald at the Passion Gukbap headquarters in southern Seoul, und