Chung Jeeyea overheard a colleague sobbing in a bathroom, unable to find someone on the phone to pick up her sick child from school. It was a moment she, too, would experience as a mom and one that led her to quit her job and start a service to help parents faced with the same quandary.
Six years later Momsitter, an online platform that matches families with potential babysitters, has gained more than 1 million users. Chung tapped into South Koreans’ tech savvy to respond to a culture that frowns upon working mothers.
"The culture of guilt is still with us,” Chung said. "We’re so used to raising children just by moms.”