Bokgakbokgak is an AI photo management service for seniors. "Bokgakbokgak digitally restores analog photos of seniors. It also adds AI captions to those photos to help seniors share and talk about their feelings with their families. Rather than simply scanning and saving photos, the service creates AI-based captions that interpret places, people, and feelings in the restored photos. What sets Bokgakbokgak apart is its ability to expand into memory quizzes or reminiscence content."
Won emphasized, "In the early stages, Bokgakbokgak's competitiveness lies in rebuilding customer relationships. "We are creating a platform where families can reconnect through photos and where seniors can reimagine their lives. In the future, we plan to expand our services to include AI-based memory videos, memory diaries, and emotion storage capsules. Bokgakbokgak aims to grow into a public memory welfare platform by collaborating with local governments."
Through partnerships with local governments and welfare institutions, Bokgakbokgak is pioneering offline markets and preparing social media content for platforms like Instagram and Reels targeting the children of seniors.
What made CEO Won decide to start a new company? "When I was a university student, I co-founded a social enterprise called Delight Co., Ltd., which developed hearing aids for low-income seniors with hearing loss. While operating and selling the company from 2010 to 2011, I often communicated with seniors through a local church group. That's when I became aware of the issues of digital exclusion and isolation. Seniors have many photos, but they have difficulty converting them to a digital format or sharing them with their families. I came up with the idea for 'Bokgakbokgak,' thinking that restoring and sharing memories through photos would solve the problem of isolation and improve social health.
Metarix has experience providing photo restoration services to approximately 1,200 seniors in collaboration with the Songpa Women's Culture Center after winning the Songpa Youth Startup Competition. This year, it was selected as a startup team for Hansung University Campus Town and plans to expand its services mainly in Seongbuk-gu.
Won said, "I feel the greatest reward when I hear the words 'thank you' during the photo restoration process. I am convinced that technology can contribute to restoring emotions and family relationships."
In addition to Won, Metarix consists of a CTO, a mental health doctor, a pharmacist, and external content and design partners.
Regarding future plans, Won said, "Bokgakbokgak aims to become a memory welfare platform that expands beyond photos to include video memories, memory diaries, and feeling capsules. In the long term, we will grow into a public record platform leading to local governments nationwide."
Founded: January 2022
Main business: development of Bokgakbokgak, an AI photo management service for seniors
Achievements: Selected for the non-face-to-face startup package support project in April 2022' won the Songpa Youth Startup Competition in July 2024; Held the Super Sanman Competition at the Han River Festival in October 2024; Appeared on MBC's popular entertainment show Omniscient Interfering View (featuring Daniel Choi) in November 2024; Selected as Campus Town CEO in March 2025; Selected for the Chungcheongnam-do Tourism Startup Fostering Support Project in April 2025
reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com
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