"Outsourcing Space" Mini Storage Darak, a self-storage service as told by CEO Hong Woo-tae

Hello, this is self-storage ‘Mini Storage Darak’.

Today, we prepared a slightly special story. We will talk about the background and philosophy behind Darak, told directly by the person who created Darak, CEO Hong Woo-tae of Second Syndrome, and the future he is envisioning.

"A company that helps you live a second life"

Second Syndrome, which operates Darak, began from the premise that 'people have two lives'.

The first life is a life devoted to meeting the demands of survival. A life of working, earning money, and fulfilling obligations. And the second life is a life of self-realization. Enjoying hobbies, having time of your own, and doing what you truly want to do. Second Syndrome was founded with the corporate philosophy of becoming a company that helps people live that second life.

A comfortable way to live without owning a home

The first thing they focused on for the second life was the issue of living space.

To live a comfortable life, a pleasant residential environment is essential. But realistically, the number of people who can own a large house is extremely limited. So what is the way to live comfortably without owning a home? The conclusion CEO Hong Sung-joon reached was clear.

"Let's outsource space."

Wouldn't people be able to live much more conveniently if they could use space only as much as they need, for only as long as they need it? If space could be used flexibly, just like attaching and detaching things, wouldn't that change the quality of life? Darak began with this question.

A model proven overseas, redesigned for Korea

The concept of self-storage itself is not new. Overseas, it had already become an industry centered in the United States in the 1960s. But what CEO Hong Sung-joon considered was not simply bringing in an overseas model.

"How can we introduce this model well in Korea, and how can we make it so that people can use it well?"

The result of redesigning it to fit Korea's housing environment, consumption patterns, and lifestyle is the 'Korean-style Mini Storage Darak'.

Why did it start in Gangnam?

For a space outsourcing service to succeed, two conditions were important. One was that real estate prices had to be high enough for there to be a need for extra space, and the other was that an appropriate income level had to be in place so people could use the service.

Gangnam was an area with a high concentration of single-person households and a high proportion of wage earners, so income levels were also supportive. We judged that it was right to build the foundation of the business in a place that satisfied both conditions, and so Darak took its first step in Gangnam.

People who use Darak

Currently, 46% of Darak users are single-person households, and the gender ratio is almost even. By age, people in their 30s are the largest group, followed by those in their 40s.

Among stored items, clothing accounts for the largest share due to Korea's distinct four seasons, followed by books and documents. Recently, as everyday hobbies have become more diverse, storage for hobby items such as camping gear and sports equipment has also been increasing rapidly.

The common point is this: things you don't want to throw away, but that take up a lot of space at home—items that are precious to you. These are the things stored in Darak.

The changes brought by COVID, and growth

During the time when most industries were stagnating due to COVID-19, self-storage actually grew. The longer people stayed at home, the more they felt the lack of space, and people naturally began looking for new space.

In this process, the number of customers experiencing Darak's service quickly increased, and good partners who would help build the service together also joined. Even now, inquiries from customers asking, **"When will one open in our neighborhood?"** keep coming without pause.

Darak's envisioned future, 'Hyper Space Life'

Darak has no intention of remaining just a storage company. The future of Darak, as Hong Sung-joon puts it, is 'Hyper Space Life (Hyper Space Life)', that is, overcoming the limits of space through hyper-space technology.

We have always lived by fitting ourselves into fixed spaces. Whether home or office, compromising within limited space was taken for granted. Darak aims to go beyond these limits through technological progress.

Expanding the service so more people can use it more conveniently, while continuously improving quality even for the same service. And moving forward in cooperation with partners and investors who resonate with this journey. This is the path Darak is walking.

We will overcome the limits of space and make our lives more pleasant and convenient.

This is Mini Storage Darak's promise.