[Life Act 3 Companies] 'Second Tomorrow' Helping Retired Middle-Aged People Find Side Jobs

Park So-young, CEO of Second Tomorrow

'50+ (Plus) Generation.' According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government ordinance, this term refers to the middle-aged group aged 50 to 64. These are people living in the era of 100 years of life who feel the will and need to prepare for the third act of their lives. As of March this year, their number is 12.88 million, accounting for one-quarter of the total population. In Seoul, the 50+ generation is emerging as a new policy target to the extent that a funded institution (Seoul 50 Plus Foundation) was established to support them.

Most of the 50+ generation have been immersed in work or childcare, but how do they want to live the remaining decades? This question is closely related to the reason why Park So-young, CEO of Second Tomorrow (38), decided to start her business. Before starting her business, she recalled a conversation with a couple of relatives who had retired after more than 30 years in teaching.

"When I asked, 'What are you doing these days?' they said, 'I walk 30,000 steps every day.' When I asked why they walk, they said, 'Because there is nothing else to do.' That shocked me. Walking because there is nothing else to do. I suddenly worried, 'Could this be my future?' They had built experience and expertise in one job for a long time, but after retirement, that usefulness disappears. So, I decided to direct the business to connect retired people with work that utilizes their experience assets and to document that content."

Park, whom Asia Economy met on the 7th, said, "Ultimately, I want to play the role of a community that shares the lifestyle of the 50+ generation," adding, "I hope it grows into a platform where middle-aged people can freely share opinions and supply and utilize content that helps each other." She also said, "The industry itself is still underdeveloped to the extent that many people do not even know the term '50+ generation,'" expressing her desire to contribute to raising awareness.

- Please introduce Second Tomorrow.

▲ It is a content company. We create content from the experience assets of the middle-aged group called the 50+ generation. We support them to find another tomorrow, their second 'work.' The company name 'Second Tomorrow' carries that meaning.

Park So-young, CEO of Second Tomorrow, is discussing business items expanded based on the careers and stories of seniors at the office in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

- What kind of work did you do before starting your business?

▲ I majored in business administration in college and worked in a foreign company handling the fashion retail sector. It was a completely different career from now. I worked for about 10 years. Although the work suited me very well, I increasingly wanted to try my own business before it got too late. Since I worked in the sales team, I was familiar with planning and strategy and thought I was good at it. I prepared for entrepreneurship while working at the company, resigned in 2018, and started my business in 2019.

- What kind of content do you create?

▲ First, we collect stories of seniors in local areas and introduce them along with regional stories, creating content and products. For example, when I started my business in 2019, I participated in a project called 'Localize Gunsan.' It was a project where startups and large companies selected about 20 startup teams to support growth and entrepreneurship in Gunsan. At that time, the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard and the Korea GM factory in Gunsan closed, resulting in many unemployed people. I met middle-aged unemployed people to see if there was anything we could do for them, and they tended to want jobs that paid well. So, I met more local residents and heard stories about Gunsan itself. As a result, I was able to plan a walking tour program called 'Remember Gunsan' in the old downtown area. We trained 50+ generation residents of Gunsan as tour guides. The program was popular, attracting about 200 visitors in 2019 when it started, but COVID-19 broke out the following year. So, we commercialized a self-travel kit containing Gunsan souvenirs, coffee vouchers, maps, etc., and sold them at local cafes and select shops. The region has a high proportion of seniors. We plan to create more content by utilizing seniors living in the area.

- What else?

▲ We also create media content and intergenerational fusion content. We publish content on SNS such as YouTube that leverages seniors' majors and careers. Intergenerational fusion content is a program that connects the experience assets of the 50+ generation and the MZ generation. For example, there is a re-challenge support project by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and we collaborate with a local company in Yeosu to connect 50+ generation people living in the metropolitan area as career mentors to local youth. It is not a simple volunteer-type job anyone can do but creates jobs that utilize the capabilities and skills of each middle-aged individual. Middle-aged people who worked in various fields such as IT, marketing, and art applied, and even though only accommodation and program fees were supported, the competition rate reached 3:1.

In that sense, retirees who need to earn a lot of money to make a living are rather far from our service target. Those who want to use their capabilities and skills with leisure even if the compensation is small are suitable targets. And I think such people will increase more and more.

- Who do you work with?

▲ We mainly handle government consignment projects like the re-challenge support project by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety I mentioned. Now, I have a strong desire to work with companies as well. More people are retiring from companies. A law has even passed requiring companies employing more than 1,000 workers to provide reemployment support services to retirees aged 50 or older. I believe that if we conduct productive projects targeting those people with companies, it will create a significant social impact.

- You established the company in 2019, so it has been five years. Do you feel the perception of middle-aged people has changed since then?

▲ I don't think it has changed dramatically. Middle-aged people are so-called squeezed generation. There are many policy supports for children and the elderly, but policies for middle-aged people are insufficient. I think it is because middle-aged people have an image of relatively being the vested class. There are many people who need support, but I think they have been neglected too much. Still, with institutions like the 50 Plus Foundation in Seoul, policies for a second act of life are increasing. However, there is no stable foundation yet, so policy focus seems to change from time to time.

- Do you have any goals?

▲ I currently have one more employee working with me, and the sales target for this year is about 300 million KRW. We made about 100 million KRW in sales in the first half of this year, so I don't think it's impossible. Also, about 200 people use our service annually now, but if this number increases to 1,000 on average per year, we plan to consider attracting investment.