A Born Creator
A Born Creator
A Born Creator
A Born Creator
Whoyaho
Whoyaho
Whoyaho
Whoyaho
For Minyoung Jun, communication should be more fun.
For Minyoung Jun, communication should be more fun.
Minyoung Jun, CEO of Whoyaho
Minyoung Jun, CEO of Whoyaho
By Rex
By Rex
Published Mar 24, 2023
Published Mar 24, 2023
Minyoung Jun has always been a natural creator. In the first year of middle school, driven by the desire to make a game for his friends to enjoy, he began developing games using a program called RPG Maker. He also started drawing comics around the same time. His classmates passed around his notebooks filled with comics, eagerly awaiting each new chapter. Minyoung loved every part of the creative process—he found immense joy in updating his work based on feedback from friends. Even more, he enjoyed seeing people have fun with what he created. Creating content that sparked emotions like joy, sadness, and laughter in others became something deeply valuable to him. Knowing this about himself, he chose computer science and visual design as his majors when he was accepted into Seoul National University’s college of liberal studies. Though an unusual combination, he felt sure it was the right path, believing it would maximize his ability to create with his hands and blend the two fields seamlessly. Confident that integrated thinking across different fields would lead to even better products, he dreamed early on of starting his own business.
After graduating from university, he began working as a developer at Naver. He grew a lot at Naver, but he wanted to work more closely with users to hear their voices, understand their needs, and identify solutions for them. This desire led him to transfer to Snow. Working at Snow solidified his resolve to start his own company. At Naver, it wasn’t difficult to imagine where he’d be in 10 years. In contrast, at Snow, it was hard to envision his future a decade down the road. This uncertainty excited Minyoung instead of making him anxious.
Minyoung has always maintained an interest in teen communication, from university onward. His experience in mobile service development gave him unique insights into the digital-native Generation Alpha, who have a fundamentally different concept of communication compared to previous generations. Older generations often struggle to integrate online and offline relationships, placing more importance on offline connections. However, the Generation Alpha values online relationships just as much, building connections through unique online cultures and rules. Their online interactions are fleeting, with multiple personas and the ease of forming temporary connections—a feature Alphas embrace well. Minyoung observed that existing services, media, and perspectives were not keeping up with this vibrant and distinct communication culture of the Generation Alpha. This gap was especially significant in Korea, where Alphas are even more digitally active and creative than their peers in other countries.
Driven by his belief that “communication should be more fun,” Minyoung founded Whoyaho. At Whoyaho, he continually experimented with ways to help the new generation find unique value through communication. One experiment involved going to Seohyun Station, where he observed elementary and middle school students gathering in front of an Artbox store. Noticing the affection in their eyes as they traded "Malang" (squishy toys), he immediately thought about bringing this experience to mobile. The result, Malang Online(Fidget town), received an explosive response.
Minyoung’s integrated thinking has been instrumental in the growth of Malang Online. His high level of understanding across all processes—identifying problems, planning solutions, visual design, and coding—helped bring the concept to life. Communication within the company also became more fun and efficient, a unique strength of Whoyaho’s execution capabilities. While there are still many pages to be written about how Whoyaho and Minyoung will change the world’s approach to communication, one thing is certain: filling these pages will bring joy to both Whoyaho and Minyoung.
Minyoung Jun has always been a natural creator. In the first year of middle school, driven by the desire to make a game for his friends to enjoy, he began developing games using a program called RPG Maker. He also started drawing comics around the same time. His classmates passed around his notebooks filled with comics, eagerly awaiting each new chapter. Minyoung loved every part of the creative process—he found immense joy in updating his work based on feedback from friends. Even more, he enjoyed seeing people have fun with what he created. Creating content that sparked emotions like joy, sadness, and laughter in others became something deeply valuable to him. Knowing this about himself, he chose computer science and visual design as his majors when he was accepted into Seoul National University’s college of liberal studies. Though an unusual combination, he felt sure it was the right path, believing it would maximize his ability to create with his hands and blend the two fields seamlessly. Confident that integrated thinking across different fields would lead to even better products, he dreamed early on of starting his own business.
After graduating from university, he began working as a developer at Naver. He grew a lot at Naver, but he wanted to work more closely with users to hear their voices, understand their needs, and identify solutions for them. This desire led him to transfer to Snow. Working at Snow solidified his resolve to start his own company. At Naver, it wasn’t difficult to imagine where he’d be in 10 years. In contrast, at Snow, it was hard to envision his future a decade down the road. This uncertainty excited Minyoung instead of making him anxious.
Minyoung has always maintained an interest in teen communication, from university onward. His experience in mobile service development gave him unique insights into the digital-native Generation Alpha, who have a fundamentally different concept of communication compared to previous generations. Older generations often struggle to integrate online and offline relationships, placing more importance on offline connections. However, the Generation Alpha values online relationships just as much, building connections through unique online cultures and rules. Their online interactions are fleeting, with multiple personas and the ease of forming temporary connections—a feature Alphas embrace well. Minyoung observed that existing services, media, and perspectives were not keeping up with this vibrant and distinct communication culture of the Generation Alpha. This gap was especially significant in Korea, where Alphas are even more digitally active and creative than their peers in other countries.
Driven by his belief that “communication should be more fun,” Minyoung founded Whoyaho. At Whoyaho, he continually experimented with ways to help the new generation find unique value through communication. One experiment involved going to Seohyun Station, where he observed elementary and middle school students gathering in front of an Artbox store. Noticing the affection in their eyes as they traded "Malang" (squishy toys), he immediately thought about bringing this experience to mobile. The result, Malang Online(Fidget town), received an explosive response.
Minyoung’s integrated thinking has been instrumental in the growth of Malang Online. His high level of understanding across all processes—identifying problems, planning solutions, visual design, and coding—helped bring the concept to life. Communication within the company also became more fun and efficient, a unique strength of Whoyaho’s execution capabilities. While there are still many pages to be written about how Whoyaho and Minyoung will change the world’s approach to communication, one thing is certain: filling these pages will bring joy to both Whoyaho and Minyoung.
Minyoung Jun has always been a natural creator. In the first year of middle school, driven by the desire to make a game for his friends to enjoy, he began developing games using a program called RPG Maker. He also started drawing comics around the same time. His classmates passed around his notebooks filled with comics, eagerly awaiting each new chapter. Minyoung loved every part of the creative process—he found immense joy in updating his work based on feedback from friends. Even more, he enjoyed seeing people have fun with what he created. Creating content that sparked emotions like joy, sadness, and laughter in others became something deeply valuable to him. Knowing this about himself, he chose computer science and visual design as his majors when he was accepted into Seoul National University’s college of liberal studies. Though an unusual combination, he felt sure it was the right path, believing it would maximize his ability to create with his hands and blend the two fields seamlessly. Confident that integrated thinking across different fields would lead to even better products, he dreamed early on of starting his own business.
After graduating from university, he began working as a developer at Naver. He grew a lot at Naver, but he wanted to work more closely with users to hear their voices, understand their needs, and identify solutions for them. This desire led him to transfer to Snow. Working at Snow solidified his resolve to start his own company. At Naver, it wasn’t difficult to imagine where he’d be in 10 years. In contrast, at Snow, it was hard to envision his future a decade down the road. This uncertainty excited Minyoung instead of making him anxious.
Minyoung has always maintained an interest in teen communication, from university onward. His experience in mobile service development gave him unique insights into the digital-native Generation Alpha, who have a fundamentally different concept of communication compared to previous generations. Older generations often struggle to integrate online and offline relationships, placing more importance on offline connections. However, the Generation Alpha values online relationships just as much, building connections through unique online cultures and rules. Their online interactions are fleeting, with multiple personas and the ease of forming temporary connections—a feature Alphas embrace well. Minyoung observed that existing services, media, and perspectives were not keeping up with this vibrant and distinct communication culture of the Generation Alpha. This gap was especially significant in Korea, where Alphas are even more digitally active and creative than their peers in other countries.
Driven by his belief that “communication should be more fun,” Minyoung founded Whoyaho. At Whoyaho, he continually experimented with ways to help the new generation find unique value through communication. One experiment involved going to Seohyun Station, where he observed elementary and middle school students gathering in front of an Artbox store. Noticing the affection in their eyes as they traded "Malang" (squishy toys), he immediately thought about bringing this experience to mobile. The result, Malang Online(Fidget town), received an explosive response.
Minyoung’s integrated thinking has been instrumental in the growth of Malang Online. His high level of understanding across all processes—identifying problems, planning solutions, visual design, and coding—helped bring the concept to life. Communication within the company also became more fun and efficient, a unique strength of Whoyaho’s execution capabilities. While there are still many pages to be written about how Whoyaho and Minyoung will change the world’s approach to communication, one thing is certain: filling these pages will bring joy to both Whoyaho and Minyoung.
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