[Photo] 'Challenge Sook' Success Story 'O2M' Donates Masks to Seongbuk-gu to Overcome COVID-19

‘O2M’, Growing with Seongbuk-gu Support Since Startup, Donates 2,000 Self-Made Masks... A Model of Healthy Cycle from Startup Support to Business Growth to Community Giving

From the left, Moon Jin-hwan, Chairman of Deobureo Hamkke Sae Hope, Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, and Seo Jun-geol, CEO of O2M

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] O2M, an outstanding company that has grown by benefiting from Seongbuk-gu’s (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) flagship youth startup support project ‘Dojeon-suk,’ donated 2,000 self-produced droplet-blocking masks (Happy Masks) to Seongbuk-gu on the 6th.

This company, which grew with the support of the district during its startup phase, expressed its intention to donate 2,000 self-produced droplet-blocking masks as a token of gratitude and to wish for the residents’ overcoming of COVID-19.

O2M (CEO Seo Jun-geol) has been operating at Seongbuk-gu Dojeon-suk Building 4 (67 Bogungmun-ro 8da-gil) since 2017, and is regarded as having achieved a success story for small and medium venture businesses, including developing the world’s first oxygen-generating mask in 2018.

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, said, “Watching the process from starting as a one-person company at our ‘Dojeon-suk,’ nurturing hope, gaining growth momentum, and becoming today’s ‘O2M’ makes the support from the One-Person Creative Enterprise Support Center truly rewarding,” and added, “We will be a strong supporter so that second and third companies like ‘O2M’ can be born. We especially appreciate the donation of droplet-blocking masks made with the company’s own developed technology, which makes this even more meaningful.”

Seongbuk-gu signed an industry-academia cooperation agreement on the 18th of last month at ‘Dojeon-suk’ Branch 12 with six local universities (Korea University, Kookmin University, Dongduk Women’s University, Seokyeong University, Sungshin Women’s University, Hansung University) to discover and foster excellent youth startup companies like ‘O2M.’

Going forward, the district plans to support the commercialization and business development of innovative ideas from talented individuals and, in connection with university startup support groups, promote various projects to help these companies grow into leaders of Seongbuk-gu’s new growth industries.

‘Dojeon-suk’ is a mixed-use rental housing project that solves office and accommodation needs at once for one-person creative entrepreneurs. The district signed a business agreement with the Seoul Regional Small and Medium Venture Business Administration and SH Corporation, starting supply with Branch 1 in 2014. Currently, 13 branches have been supplied, and by the first half of 2021, a total of 15 branches and 214 rooms are planned to be supplied.