▶ Interview
Subean Park, CEO and founder of the Stair Crusher Club (SCC) (Class of 2008, undergraduate program at SNU Business School)
As science and technology advances, life becomes more convenient. However, moving in a wheelchair remains challenging. Anyone who falls ill can avail themselves of a wheelchair, and due to Korea’s aging society, the number of people with impaired mobility will likely increase. Park Subean, believed that someone should lead the change toward a more accessible world.
I received the news of this selection via e-mail. At first, it did not feel real. It was both amazing and unfamiliar. I was pleased and grateful that many people around me were happy for me. The recognition from others became a positive energy, encouraging my team members and other participants in this activity. The activities of the Stair Crusher Club (SCC) become meaningful only when many participate. As time passed, I felt happier and more rewarded.
Following a published interview, people began recognizing this small company with a short history. The number of followers on SCC`s social media channels has increased, as have collaboration offers and inquiries. This year’s projects and collaborations have become an opportunity to promote trust in SCC. My company has also been invited to participate in forums. Due to the rising interest in ESG companies making social contributions, we will likely become more actively involved in corporate lectures and collaboration activities this year.
I tend not to have mood swings. Moreover, I have accepted my condition as I began using a wheelchair in my early childhood; thus, the wheelchair was like a given environment rather than an inconvenience. Most of all, my parents took great care of me. My life radius was limited to home, school, private academies, and my neighborhood during my childhood, whereas this area expanded when I attended college, resulting in certain discomforts. I came to realize that it was difficult to move as I intended.
Dae-ho Lee, co-CEO, was one of my colleagues at Tada, a mobility service company. I oversaw service planning at Tada, while Mr. Lee was responsible for operations on the Operations Team. We cultivated our friendship by occasionally having meals together. As time passed and we became closer, we found it challenging to find a restaurant as wheelchair-accessible venues were limited, with few offering entrances without stairs. Under a mutual understanding with Mr. Lee, we began our journey as a side project while working at the company.
Since developing the SCC app, we have continuously updated our services. We are adding a service that supports the two functions of collecting and retrieving information. Our primary work thus far has focused on information collection. We plan to update our app with a service that offers a retrieval function around the end of February this year and are currently testing the product. For the developed app, a test group selected for pre-registration has been sending us reviews and suggestions for improvement.
When a user searches for nearby restaurants on the app’s map, the accessibility information for each location (with icons) is displayed in colors. If a restaurant has no stairs or has a ramp, it is marked green. If a restaurant has low stairs with one or two steps, it is marked yellow. If a restaurant has many stairs, causing a hurdle to movement, it is marked red. This function allows users to find wheelchair-accessible restaurants. After implementing smooth information searching on the map, we will offer a service that asks mobility-impaired users to leave feedback on restaurants. No matter how many stars a restaurant has, people are willing to visit when they read a review saying this restaurant serves delicious food. The information on an app can be regarded as reliable and useful when it includes reviews from those who have actually visited a place. We primarily collect information on restaurants, cafes, convenience stores, pharmacies, and hospitals near major subway stations in Seoul.
About half of the Crusher Club participants applied to this membership due to their interest in transportation accessibility, as there is a general lack of opportunities to partake in related activities in their daily lives. The Crusher Club operates based on membership, with a membership fee of 29,000 won (for three months) as of spring 2025. Because the activities of our company require the participation of both organizations and members, the membership program aims to foster a sense of responsibility and belonging. No participation after application is meaningless. The absence of some members may also degrade the motivation of others to participate. This membership model has successfully induced voluntary participation because the paid membership emphasizes fun and rewards rather than volunteer work. In particular, the 2030 generations appear to feel a sense of efficacy from participating in socially valuable activities and find meaning in solving real-world problems.
During the planning stage, I spent considerable time deciding whether to introduce information gathering as volunteer work. In broad terms, information gathering is nothing more than volunteer work. However, to facilitate continued participation, there was a need to offer entertaining elements to participants. We shared opinions on gamification techniques. When a user engages in information collection, the app assigns on-site missions. For example, there is a ‘target place’ on display. This technique utilized the tendency of users tempted to complete the mission list. What if we created this service like hopscotch, allowing users to complete a mission list by erasing each mark? We intended to offer the feeling of having cleared a game. A user can become the first person to add information to a place where no one has stated whether it is accessible. In this respect, the word ‘conqueror’ implies “let us conquer the stairs.”
I hope the map app for the mobility-impaired will grow into a basic navigation tool. Subsequently, we intend to add information on accommodation and travel sites. The ultimate goal is to construct a convenient app that supports the mobility-impaired by offering necessary information. Ultimately, all this work boils down to sustainability. This project demands a high cost to attract the participation of many people and expand mobility information. SCC has recently been converted into a non-profit corporation. Non-profits ensure sustainability by supporting those who hope to empathetically resolve problems. The best growth formula is to employ this attitude as the driving force to solve problems in a fair manner. I hope that many people, including private companies, will continue to have an interest in the mobility-impaired as well as the activities of the SCC.
