FuturePlay Recruits Seok Jong-hoon, Former Secretary for SMEs and Startups, as Partner

Former Head of Startup Venture Innovation Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups
A Field Expert Seeking Solutions with Experience in Both Private and Public Sectors

Global startup incubator FuturePlay announced on the 16th that it has recruited Seok Jong-hoon, former Secretary for Small and Medium Ventures at the Presidential Secretariat, as a partner. Photo by FuturePlay

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Global startup nurturing company FuturePlay announced on the 16th that it has recruited Seok Jonghoon, former Secretary for Small and Medium Ventures at the Presidential Secretariat, as a partner.

Partner Seok Jonghoon is a field expert who has sought solutions by gaining experience in both the private sector and public office in the venture and startup fields.

After graduating from Yonsei University with a degree in Business Administration, Partner Seok worked at Kyunghyang Newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, and as a Silicon Valley correspondent, then founded Silicon Valley News in the U.S., gaining firsthand experience with the local startup environment and collaboration processes.

He later joined Daum Communications and was appointed CEO in 2007, leading the creation of new business models such as 'Media Daum' and 'Agora.' He also founded the venture company Namuon, directly experiencing startup founding and management.

Partner Seok served as the first Director of the Startup Venture Innovation Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in 2018. Subsequently, he was appointed Secretary for Small and Medium Ventures at the Presidential Secretariat, contributing during his term to promoting early-stage company growth, fostering an environment encouraging startups, and supporting R&D and technical personnel for SMEs. He is recognized for promoting various policies aimed at creating a venture ecosystem based on private sector autonomy and potential.

Going forward, Partner Seok will play a leading role at FuturePlay in discovering early or prospective companies, laying the foundation for new business and early-stage company nurturing, and revitalizing a private sector-led startup ecosystem.

Ryu Junghui, CEO of FuturePlay, said, “Partner Seok Jonghoon is a first-generation startup industry expert who gained extensive experience as an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley and Daum Communications before his public service. We believe he is the optimal expert to expand the role of the accelerator that FuturePlay is newly defining and to support and grow various startups.” He added, “The addition of a senior partner with diverse experience in both private and public sectors will be a great strength to the early investment industry, including accelerators.”

Partner Seok Jonghoon of FuturePlay said, “I joined FuturePlay because I want to work closely with entrepreneurs,” and added, “Having experienced the perspectives of both private and government sectors regarding the difficulties faced by domestic startups, I plan to strive to create an environment where anyone can start a business easily.”