[Life Chapter 3 Business] 'Hucares Korea' Creates Dating App Exclusively for 5070 Generation

5070 Generation Exclusive Community App 'Sinol'
"Increasing Number of Seniors Living Alone... Need for Services to Alleviate Loneliness"
Providing In-Home PT Services for Senior Generation

CEO Minji Kim of Hookers Korea. / Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "We wanted to solve the loneliness and isolation of the senior generation."

Minji Kim (37), CEO of 'Hucares Korea (Hucares),' launched the application (app) 'Sinol (Senior Playground)' last month for the senior generation. It is a dating app for the 50s and 70s generation, with the core feature of matching users with others of similar interests and age groups to easily find companions for leisure activities.

Founded in 2018, Hucares initially provided a home personal training (PT) service. Customers could choose their preferred time and place, and fitness instructors would visit the location to assist with exercise. Although anyone nationwide, regardless of age or gender, could apply for the service if they had the will to exercise, surprisingly, the highest interest came from customers aged 50 and above. CEO Kim spotted a business opportunity here, convinced that the senior business industry would soon become active.

While providing the home PT service, CEO Kim realized that the senior generation enjoyed conversation time with instructors more than the exercise itself. Therefore, she wanted to create a space where middle-aged people who needed companions could meet and communicate, which led to the birth of Sinol, embodying her aspirations. Hucares currently offers both Sinol and home PT services.

Regarding Sinol, CEO Kim said, "The number of seniors living alone is gradually increasing due to factors such as late-life divorce or the death of a spouse. Sinol was created through the process of thinking about how to soothe their loneliness and help them make good friends." Sinol provides services based on the user's location, allowing them to find friends in their neighborhood. Additionally, to prepare for various possible situations, an artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring system has been introduced to block malicious users. Since its official launch in November this year, the app has surpassed 4,000 downloads, and more than 100 couples have been successfully matched.

Although Sinol is a fresh service launched recently, CEO Kim came up with the idea a long time ago. Having worked for five years in the retirement pension department at Mirae Asset Securities in her twenties, she frequently encountered the term 'active senior.' Interested in the senior generation, she studied Japan's case, which faced an aging society earlier than Korea, and felt the importance of communities where middle-aged people could be active. CEO Kim said, "Japan has well-established complex cultural spaces for seniors in major cities like Tokyo, but Korea lacks spaces where middle-aged people can go. That's why I wanted to create a service for them."

CEO Kim plans to provide information on hobbies and leisure activities for the senior generation within this month. She said, "Welfare centers and community centers offer various activities for middle-aged people, but seniors find it difficult to find this information themselves. We will provide a service that allows them to see all activity options at a glance within this month."

CEO Kim wants Sinol to be an app that meets the needs of the senior generation beyond just providing a communication platform. She said, "We want to be the first app for the senior generation. In the future, we aim to become an all-in-one platform connecting all aspects of seniors' lives, including offering offline membership lounges for them."

CEO Minji Kim of Hookers Korea. / Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

Below is a Q&A session

- What is the meaning behind the company name 'Hucares'?

▲ 'Hucares' is a play on the English phrase 'who cares.' Literally, it means 'Who cares?' implying 'Don't worry about others, just act.' It also means 'someone cares for you.' While the home PT service is close to physical care, Sinol is more about mental care.

- What prompted you to plan Sinol?

▲ The senior generation is easily exposed to loneliness and isolation due to changes in social and economic status, reduced interaction with children, and the death of a spouse. Loneliness accelerates aging and worsens health. However, there were few companies trying to solve seniors' loneliness. We wanted to create a channel where seniors could meet and communicate to resolve their isolation.

- Do seniors have difficulties using Sinol?

▲ Usability tests with people in their 60s showed that they could use the app itself without much trouble. However, many had difficulties during the registration process. They had to go through identity verification via their telecom provider, and many gave up at this step. So, we changed the verification method. After registering their profile photo, users take a selfie, and AI verifies if the two photos match to authenticate identity. The app is designed to be as simple as possible, including only necessary functions, with large text and icons to make it easy for seniors to use.

- Why do seniors use Sinol?

▲ Seniors have few places to share their stories. Even if they want to talk, they lack conversation partners. Many have a lot of free time and feel bored but have nowhere to go. Even if they want to make good friends, the environment doesn't support it. Ultimately, I think they use our service to solve their loneliness.

- You also provide home PT services for seniors.

▲ There are many exercise videos on YouTube, but it's difficult for seniors to follow them. Going to a gym can be uncomfortable because of the many young people. The generation that really needs exercise is the 50s and 70s. Also, having instructors who are around their children's age visit them directly to teach exercise results in high satisfaction. Through exercise, their health improves, and they gain conversation partners. Therefore, the usage and re-enrollment rates among seniors are the highest.

- How many instructors are affiliated with the company?

▲ There are about 500 instructors nationwide affiliated with the company. About 300 work in the metropolitan area, more than in other regions. Most are in their 30s and 40s, roughly the age of the customers' children. This seems to make senior customers feel more affectionate.

- What kind of company do you want to become in the future?

▲ I hope that when seniors worry about retirement or old age, Sinol will be the first app that comes to mind. When we were young, we made friends just by going to playgrounds. Our society still lacks community channels for seniors. Sinol wants to be a playground for them.