Korea is quite conservative about its sex culture. Not long ago, women were forced to keep their chastity before marriage. This example clearly shows how conservative about sex culture Korea was at the time. An oppressed sex culture in a society causes many problems. A free and right sex culture should be formed to help people deal appropriately with their sexual desires instead of making them feel ashamed of sex. For example, an environment needs to be formed where people can talk freely about sex, and people need to understand the current sex culture and be more generous about chastity before marriage. Recently, a company named ‘Holla Company’ was established to help create a healthier sex culture among couples. This company also sells sex products and develops applications, one of which is called “Holddak Banana”. Through alumna Park Min Kyung, who is making bold attempts to change the world, we can learn about Holla Company and the right rules for loving relationships.

 About the Holla Company.
 1. What was the hardest thing when you tried to establish Holla Company in conservative Korea?
 My family is open to sex culture so I did not know that I would have many difficulties. However, while preparing to start a business, I got to know that a title like ‘sex’ itself has lots of obstacles. Indeed, advertisement on Facebook was rejected. In addition, it was hard to recruit team members because there were some people who were worried about their parents finding out about them working in the Holla Company. I think I had those experiences because standards on information are different for each person. I think our Holddak Banana service is healthier than the gaudy clothes worn by girl bands in Korea.

 2. Is there a memorable couple among the couples who used the Holddak Banana application?
 There is the youngest member of the company who is working together with me now. She is a 22 years old female college student. She was a lover of the Holddak Banana application. Actually, she was one of the first users of the application. In the following year, she applied as a Holddak Banana supporter which was called Organic Banana and she worked as a supporter of Holddak Banana. She had a positive way of thinking about ‘sex’, extensive knowledge about sex, positive attitude, and her love for ‘Holddak Banana’. I liked these attitudes and that allowed us to work together now. She was a customer in the past but is a colleague now who is working and building the Holddak Banana service together with us.

 3. If there is mission or aim of the Holla company? What is it? 
 Before establishing the Holla company, I worked for another company. I decided to quit the job because ‘it was not interesting to me’. That was the biggest reason. I made three rules after this experience. First, let’s do special things that only “I” can do. Second, let’s do the job that I can enjoy and provides entertainment for other people. Third, let’s do something excellent in designs. Later, these three rules became the missions of this company. I am going to do enjoyable and beautiful things that “we” can do only. I am not going to do something if it is not fun even if it guarantees money. And I hope Holddak Banana becomes a playground for couples. I want couples to visit the company and burst out laughing at sex products and try them.

 4. Is there any other aims except overseas expansion?
 Actually, we have prepared another plan, but it is a secret so I cannot tell you in detail. (Laugh) Unlike existing sex shops (adult shops) that sell sexual entertainment products that people enjoy alone, I want to open sex shops where they sell products that couples can enjoy together. ‘The smallest but the largest number of sex toy shops’ is Holddak Banana’s concept and this is the only hint that I can give to you.

 About having a relationship with someone.
 5. I think a relationship with a boyfriend or a girlfriend is an important and realistic issue for university students. Please give some advice to those students who are worried about their love relationships.
 I have been dating my boyfriend for nine years. There was a time when I was in the best mood and vice versa. Normally, when people feel like their partners have changed, they feel uneasy. I want to give advice on this: when you fall in love and begin a relationship, people change a lot. They become more diligent, bright, and positive. However, as time goes by, your boyfriend or girlfriend and yourself go back to “the original you”. “The original of you” means your look before starting the relationship. In the process of showing your original looks, you may think your partner has changed. However, I do not want you to think in that way. If you admit that he or she had changed for a while after meeting you, and that this is the real you that came back to your original state, you and your partner will be able to understand each other better.

 6. Along with using Holddak Banana application, is there more fun or enjoyable ways for couples to love each other?
 While making Holddak Banana service, I studied about sex a lot. There are a wide variety of ways for caressing and having sex, but I do not think knowing a lot about them means you are good at sex. It is crucial to use caresses and sex skills that your partner loves and in the right situation. First, you need to be interested in your love and try to learn about her or him. It is good to love the way your partner wants to be loved. There are some people who like to say ‘I love you’ every day to their partners but there are people who hate that. Do not trust people saying ‘Girls are like this and that and boys are like this and that’. It depends on the person. If you are in love with someone, I want you to be interested in him or her and try your best to know about that person. And you need to tell them about yourself. To do this, we need to know what we want. It is not only for our love relations, but also for human relations. I believe that people can have good relationships when they know about each other well. Also, they need to know about themselves well so that they can tell their partners about what they truly want.

 7. To use sex skills that a partner likes, I think we need to know much about sex itself. Usually, to build knowledge of sexual matters, where do you refer to?
 I refer to Cosmopolitan, REDHolics and many foreign books and theses. To share the knowledge that I gained, I recently held a lecture called Soksajeong (which means inside story) Salon. It was a time to give people some knowledge of sexual matters. All of the audience members reacted excitedly to the lecture I gave.

 From the interview with Park Min Kyung, who has been in love with her boyfriend for nine years, we learned about Holla company and mature love. She made an application which gives missions about physical affection and sex life (the missions are based on the right knowledge of sexual matters) for couples. Furthermore, she has a plan to open the country’s first sex toy shop that couples can enjoy together. By seeing her company’s items and listening to her plan, I felt that ‘the world is gradually changing’. In the past, people thought that it is a taboo to talk about sex and they avoided talking about it. However, nowadays, gradually, ‘sex culture’ is treated as material that everybody must learn and master. From that point, the effort from alumna Park Min Kyung’s Holla Banana is very meaningful. This is because it aims for a healthy sex culture where couples can talk freely about sex and for the oppressed culture to become more open to sex culture. I hope her steps help to create a healthier awareness of sex life! I root for you!!