A growing company with over 80 doctors, pharmacists, nurses, physical therapists, and exercise instructors.
– Occupational safety and health musculoskeletal disease prevention training, corporate workshops, and 1:1 employee-tailored health therapy programs
– Providing customized health solutions for office workers focused on preventing musculoskeletal disorders.
According to data released by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, one in three Koreans suffers from musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal disorders are health problems caused by damage to bodily tissues such as muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, and joints. Pain lasts from days to months and is characterized by repeated worsening and recovery. As symptoms worsen, work performance can be impaired, making early prevention and management crucial. Office workers, who spend most of their days in the office, aside from sleep, are highly susceptible to these disorders. Valuable Life is a startup focused on this issue.
Valuable Life, with the help of experts from various fields, including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and physical therapists, provides health education and prevention-focused consulting and training services to businesses. It also operates an offline fitness center. We interviewed CEO Han Jae-deok to learn about the startup's founding and growth process.
■ Start with YouTube videos related to stretching and massage
In 2020, CEO Han Jae-deok began uploading short, actionable stretching and massage videos to YouTube to help patients.
"At first, I didn't think there would be much of a response. But then one day, my followers suddenly increased by thousands in a single day, and within three months, I had over 80,000 subscribers."
Even before working at the hospital, he spent two years in Uganda, starting in 2016, coaching the Ugandan national taekwondo team, police officers, soldiers, and many local residents. This experience firsthand demonstrated the potential of accessible health practices. Since then, he has established himself as a health influencer with 200,000 subscribers and published a book titled "Slow-Aging Healthy Habits: Start in Just One Minute a Day," further increasing his public profile. This process naturally led to opportunities for collaboration with medical and fitness professionals. CEO Han explains, "I wanted to create a 'health crew' where diverse professionals could collaborate and grow together, rather than remaining confined to a single field." He enlisted the support of doctors, pharmacists, exercise instructors, physical therapists, and other professionals from diverse fields. As lecture requests grew, the system became more systematic, and eventually, the company evolved into a full-fledged enterprise.
■ When it comes to musculoskeletal disorders, prevention is more important than treatment.
Valuable Life's core value is "prevention." CEO Han Jae-deok emphasized the importance of preventive education, stating, "Workers often neglect health issues due to their busy schedules, often leaving them without time to visit the hospital."
Currently, Valuable Life, together with approximately 80 health experts, provides occupational safety and health training to companies. Training on preventing musculoskeletal disorders, such as shoulder, neck, and back pain, is particularly popular, as they frequently occur in workplaces that involve prolonged sitting or extensive use of digital devices.
One representative shared a striking case he encountered at a training center: "There was a person who couldn't raise his arm due to shoulder pain. He had been working without time to go to the hospital. At first, he just listened to the lecture with his arms crossed. But about halfway through, his arm began to lift, and he came to the center himself. After about ten sessions of a customized exercise program, he completely recovered."
In another case, a company training session identified unusual signs in an employee's movements, prompting a medical examination. This led to an early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and early treatment. This case demonstrates the effectiveness of exercise training as an "early warning system," extending beyond simple exercise instruction.
Valuable Life operates a program that combines education and practical training to foster both prevention and recovery. "Our goal is to prevent illness before it occurs. Before employees seek medical attention, companies should prioritize their health." As CEO Han puts it, Valuable Life is fostering a preventative workplace health management culture. As CEO Han puts it, Valuable Life is pioneering a new paradigm for corporate health management focused on prevention.
■ Health-focused corporate workshops. Why HR professionals seek them out first.
Valuable Life is also attracting significant attention for its health-focused corporate workshop programs. Recently, companies are increasingly emphasizing sustainable employee health management as a key workshop topic. Accordingly, Valuable Life consistently offers practical training on the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders, stretching, and special lectures on "slow aging." CEO Han Jae-deok stated, "Over 90% of companies request return visits. They often report experiencing tangible changes and impact, rather than just one-off training sessions." He added, "Not only are employees satisfied, but HR managers often recommend our programs to other departments and companies."
■ Future Vision: A "Preventive Consulting Firm" Evolving with Data and AI
Based on the data collected thus far, Valuable Life is preparing to leap forward as a personalized preventive health consulting company powered by data and artificial intelligence (AI). By analyzing accumulated health data from employees, the company is predicting the likelihood of disease occurrence based on age, occupation, and lifestyle habits. Based on these findings, the company is developing educational and one-on-one customized consulting programs. Furthermore, the company plans to expand prevention centers in key business districts to establish a system that enables employees to recognize problems early and receive prompt preventative care. Valuable Life's goal is clear: to prevent disease before it occurs and to provide an environment where companies can proactively manage their employees' health. Health education and workshop registration is available on the Valuable Life official website. CEO Han Jae-deok concluded the interview, stating, "It's been a journey from zero to success. I'm currently working in the field, working with many companies, and I will continue to do my best to foster a healthy corporate culture."
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