He barely left his room for 5 years. Now he helps others re-enter society
He turned 5 years of social isolation hidden in his room into a foundation to help others
You Jin-kyu, who spent nearly five years barely leaving his room in his 20s, helps socially isolated young Koreans reconnect with the world
You Jin-kyu lives up to the psychological definition of a “wounded healer” – someone who uses their own pain as a bridge to understand and heal others.
Once a socially withdrawn man who had spent nearly five years barely leaving his room in his 20s, You has turned his past into a powerful foundation for business, social advocacy and peer-based job creation.
“I found out that even your unwanted, shameful past of social withdrawal can become a qualification,” You says in a phone interview.
Now in his early 30s, You can trace his turning point to a share house operated by the Korean branch of a Japanese non-profit organisation for hikikomori – a Japanese term for recluses or shut-ins.
He recalls that joining the programme helped him slowly re-enter society and relearn the rhythms of daily life.
“And over time, I not only adapted, but also began studying how the organisation functioned,” he says. He used its business model to launch his own company in 2022.
