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"A society where parents can focus on work without losing growth opportunities despite having children—that is what we aim to create."
These are the words of Kang Ho-san (CEO), CEO and founder of Daramaker, a startup that plans and operates 'Dureun Dureun', a family-based workation (work + leisure) service. Daramaker is building a model through its new approach called "Family Workation," enabling employees with young children to balance both career and family life.
Family Workation provides parents with dedicated spaces and time to focus on their work, while children spend the day under the care of professional childcare instructors and engaging experiential programs. Kang (CEO) explained, "Parents immerse themselves in work, children grow happily, and local communities benefit from an increase in overnight visitors."
The reason Kang (CEO) launched this business model stems from a simple question: "Why must someone give up their career simply because they are caring for family?" He said, "Employees with young children often miss out on corporate training, business trips, and workshops. Watching repeatedly how growth opportunities are cut off due to childcare responsibilities inspired me to start this venture."
While the importance of work-life balance has long been emphasized, caregiving remains largely left to individuals in practice. Especially when employees in their mid-career stage (5–8 years of experience), who play critical roles within companies, leave organizations due to childcare issues, companies suffer significant losses. Kang (CEO) noted, "Statistics show that a significant number of working mothers have considered quitting their jobs." He emphasized, "Caregiving is no longer just an individual issue—it is a challenge that both corporations and society must address together."
Kang (CEO) majored in education at university and previously worked in special education classes at an elementary school. He said, "I frequently observed on the ground that children's emotional stability is ultimately connected to their parents' lives." After leaving the school system, he launched a family communication education business, with its flagship program being 'Communication Café.' In this program, parents and children were invited into dimly lit spaces where they exchanged questionnaires to share their true feelings in just 10 minutes. This experience solidified his belief that caregiving is not merely about leaving children behind but can transform family relationships and organizational culture—leading to the development of today's Dureun Dureun model.
Recently, Daramaker conducted a meaningful pilot program at the National Jinan Highland Forest Therapy Center in Jinan County, Jeollabuk-do. The initiative was carried out in collaboration with three public institutions: Korea Forest Service, Korea Forestry Promotion Institute, and the National Pension Service, under the name "Family-Friendly Family Forestcation." Kang (CEO) stated that support from the "Youth Forest Entrepreneurship Incubation Program" jointly offered by the Korea Forest Service and the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute played a major role. He added, "With backing from these two organizations, we were able to solidify our business foundation throughout 2025 and achieve meaningful results. In particular, expert mentoring and connections with institutional investor networks helped rapidly refine and perfect the Dureun Dureun model."
As word of mouth about Family Workation spread, performance also grew. Operating programs for corporations, public institutions, and local governments, last year's revenue increased by 180% compared to the previous year. In the Gyeongnam Local Startup Support Program, the company was selected as an outstanding enterprise and received support from the provincial government under Ji Sa-sang-do (수상).
Notably, Daramaker provides companies with detailed reports after each program concludes, covering satisfaction levels, changes in engagement, team dynamics, and more. This approach helps companies link welfare initiatives directly to tangible business outcomes rather than treating them as mere events. Kang (CEO) said, "If welfare ends only as an experience, it loses its meaning. We demonstrate through data exactly what kind of organizational changes our programs have created."
Starting this year, Daramaker plans to expand Family Workation beyond a single service into a sustainable welfare infrastructure. Collaborating with Namhae County, the company will build a comprehensive cultural childcare center and establish a system allowing companies to utilize Family Workation anytime throughout the year. Additionally, it aims to standardize program quality by training professional caregivers known as 'Dureun Teachers' who will operate across the country.
Kang (CEO) said, "In 2026, with continued strong support from the Korea Forest Service and the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute, we hope more young people will become interested in and take on challenges within the boundless potential of forest spaces, jointly creating changes essential to our society."
[MoneyToday Startup Media Platform Unicorn Factory]
in FUTURE
