Fearing Loss of Trust, 7 Care Startups Urge Fair Competition

The rapidly growing domestic care industry, a key driver in the aging society, stands at a critical crossroads of 'trust restoration' and 'fair competition.' Recently, seven startups leading the care sector—Unimeo, Code Blossom, Korea Job & Job, CareNation, Caring, For Parents, and Korea Senior Research Institute—collectively announced a joint statement to foster a healthy industry ecosystem. This statement is deeply connected to a case where the Supreme Court, in February, ultimately upheld the guilty verdict against CareDoc CEO Park Jae-byung on charges of defamation and obstruction of business. CEO Park's conviction for spreading false information about competitors during the investment attraction process sent a significant shockwave through the care industry. Consequently, the seven startups expressed a firm stance that they can no longer overlook the defamation and spreading of false information by some companies, which undermines market order and degrades overall industry trust. The joint statement emphasizes that as the care industry profoundly impacts the quality of life for patients, collective efforts for 'creating a fair competitive environment' and 'improving patient welfare' are urgently needed. They presented three core demands: △immediate cessation of defaming other companies and spreading false information, △practice of fair competition and ethical management, and △adherence to laws and efforts to restore trust. They specifically warned, "Spreading false information or intentionally defaming competitors not only incurs legal penalties but also degrades the trust of the entire market," and asserted that only legitimate competition through service quality improvement and innovation will ensure the industry's sustainable growth. Participating companies, including Unimeo CEO Jang Seung-ik, Code Blossom CEO Kim Min-sik, Korea Job & Job CEO Moon Young-guk, CareNation CEO Kim Kyeon-won, Caring CEO Kim Tae-sung, For Parents CEO Jang Jun-pyo, and Korea Senior Research Institute CEO Lee Jin-yeol, hope that this statement will serve as an opportunity for the care industry to focus on its inherent mission of improving patient welfare and to establish a transparent and ethical competitive culture. Only when a healthy industry ecosystem, where mutual respect and trust are deeply rooted alongside technological innovation, is established, will the true value of care demanded by an aging society be realized.