Flying Whale · Brand Communication Studio

Connect Wide,
Connect Deep.

Flying Whale is a brand communication studio. We help brands connect wide — and connect deep.

Connect WideTours · Events · Workshops · Interviews
Connect DeepCommunity · Education · Camps
Reach and depth give your brand altitude — real presence.
Brand communityBrand eventsTeam workshopsTeam buildingInsight toursCorporate talksConferences
Start a project Company brief (PDF)

Trusted by Samsung, Hyundai Motor, LG, Naver, the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism and more.

2019–
7 years and counting
5 areas
Community · Events · Education · Workshops · Tours
50+
Press, magazine & YouTube features
6+
Books authored & endorsed
For you

Brand, marketing, HR & L&D leads —
do any of these sound familiar?

Here's how Flying Whale tackles the problems that brand, marketing and PR teams, and HR, culture and L&D leads, run into most often.

“The same team workshop every year —
we want something different this time.”
Try a “walkshop” — a walking workshop — through Seongsu and Bukchon, two of Seoul's most-watched brand districts. Our signature program, joined by Samsung, Hyundai Motor and LG executives. See programs →
“Onboarding, promotion & exec training —
not sure how to fill the agenda.”
We design tailored talks on brand & customer experience, leadership and personal branding for each audience. See talks →
“Teamwork & culture feel stuck —
we want the team to genuinely change.”
Facilitated team-building workshops that change how your team works day to day. See workshops →
“We want to connect with customers & fans through brand community & events.”
From meetups, conferences and events to lasting brand communities & ambassador programs — including the COEX Goods Conference, four years running. See programs →
Recent work · H1 2026

What we've been working on

Selected H1 2026 projects — connecting brands, companies and the public sector, wide and deep.

Samsung next-gen leader & executive talk (Youngsun Paek)
Samsung — next-gen leaders & executives, talk & local tour
Guro Culture Foundation policy forum moderator (Youngsun Paek)
Guro Culture Foundation policy forum · moderator
Community Builders book talk (Youngsun Paek)
“Community Builders” book talk
  1. Samsung — next-gen leaders & executives, talk & local tour
  2. Arc'teryx Ambassador Cohort 1 — program moderator
  3. Millie's Library (Korea's leading e-book subscription) — “Local Highlight” program, planning & operations
  4. Consultant — Youth-Friendly Cities (Office for Government Policy Coordination) · Culture Cities (Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism)
  5. Chuncheon City officials — talk & local tour
  6. Guro Culture Foundation policy forum — moderator
  7. “Community Builders” book talks — 20 sessions, and more
See all H1 2026 projects →
Signature · Our programs

What we can do for you

Pick what fits the problem you're solving now. We shape the detailed program with you.

A walking workshop that sharpens your senses and shifts your thinking

Seongsu Insight Tour

We walk Seongsu, Bukchon and other districts full of flagships and pop-ups. Instead of reading reports, we read brands and customer experience on the ground. Flying Whale's signature team workshop, joined by executives from Samsung, Hyundai Motor and LG.

For executives · teams · groups  ·  6–30 people recommended  ·  In person, on foot  ·  Seoul (elsewhere on request)

<Local walkshop> See the Seongsu Insight Tour →
Ways we connect brands
CommunityEventsEducationWorkshopsToursCamps
Tours are just one way we connect wide.
We combine programs to fit your goal.
Teams · Orgs

Team-building workshops

Workshops that redesign teamwork, culture and ways of working — with facilitation that turns intent into action.

New hires · Execs · Staff

Corporate talks & lectures

Tailored talks on leadership, personal branding, community, customer experience and AI & business strategy. We can also source speakers.

Orgs · Brands

Conferences & events

We bring people together and make the message land — from planning and operations to moderating on the day.

Goods Conference →
Brands · Orgs

Community building

More than a one-off event: we design customer and employee communities that last.

We also offer coaching, consulting, mentoring, advisory work and culture/leadership program design — if it's not listed, just ask.

FAQ

Questions we're often asked

The things people ask most when planning a workshop, talk or event.

Flying Whale is a brand communication studio. We plan and run communities, events, education, talks, camps, workshops and tours so brands connect wider and deeper with their customers and people. The goal: turn those connections into the brand's presence. It's led by Youngsun Paek (Rory), author of “Community Builders.”

Team workshops & team-building, the Seongsu Insight Tour (walkshop), talks on leadership, personal branding and customer experience, conference & event planning, and community building. Everything is designed for the audience — new hires, promotees, executives or teams.

A different kind of team workshop: walking trend districts like Seongsu and Bukchon to read brands, customer experience and space. Executives and teams from Samsung, Hyundai Motor, LG and KT&G have joined — insight from the field, not a classroom.

Tours work best with 6–30 people (executive or team size). Talks and workshops run from small groups to 100+, by arrangement.

Tours are based in Seoul (Seongsu, Hannam, Seochon, Yeonnam, Dosan, Bukchon, etc.), with other regions on request. Talks and workshops are available nationwide and online/hybrid.

Yes. We vary topic, depth and cases by audience — customer and brand experience for new hires, leadership and insight tours for executives, and so on.

It depends on program, group size, duration and location, so we quote per project. Reach out and we'll propose a scope and price to fit your goal.

Talks can be arranged on shorter notice; tours, workshops and events need prep and site visits, so we recommend reaching out 2–4 weeks ahead.

Samsung, Hyundai Motor, LG, KT&G, Naver, Kakao, Shinsegae Property, Arc'teryx, Patagonia, Wanted, Millie's Library and COEX, plus public bodies such as the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism and leading universities.

Yes. Beyond talks and moderating by Youngsun Paek (Rory), we help source speakers and shape the program to your topic.

Email (rockdamf@gmail.com), phone/text (+82-10-7316-0402) or KakaoTalk (rockdam). You can also email us directly from the “Get in touch” section below.

References

Selected work from the last two years

01

Local insight tours (walkshop)

  • Samsung · Hyundai Motor executive brand tours
  • Samsung — 100 newly appointed executives · KT&G executive tours
  • Asset managers, public institutions and many more
02

Corporate talks & workshops

  • Brand & customer experience talks for new-graduate cohorts
  • Employee-community talks · team “ways of working” workshops
  • NH (NongHyup) agri-tech youth-startup program · staff workshops for public culture foundations
03

Events & conference planning

  • COEX Goods Conference (Sourcing-in Market), 4 years running
  • Common Ground “Urban Picnic” talk — planning & hosting
  • Many expo & festival talks / moderating
04

University lectures · community · advisory

  • Guest lectures at leading universities (branding, local, community)
  • Trevari (book-club community) — “Community Builders” club, seasons 3·4·5
  • Contributor to folin, JoongAng Ilbo's business-insight platform (28+ articles) · public-sector advisory

* Some clients are shown by sector/size for confidentiality. Full references are available in the company brief or on request.

Projects by year
2025 projectsAll talks, insight tours, events & community → 2024 projectsLG, Seongsu tours, COEX Goods Conference & more →
Partners

Partners who trust us

Companies

Public · Institutions · Education

As featured in

A track record you can check

SBSLongblackSebasiMK EconomyEdailyDBRChosun TopclassJoongAng Ilbo SBSLongblackSebasiMK EconomyEdailyDBRChosun TopclassJoongAng Ilbo
HankyorehMBC 14FHankook IlboMKTVWisdom 2.0ChannelYesWeekly Chosunfolin HankyorehMBC 14FHankook IlboMKTVWisdom 2.0ChannelYesWeekly Chosunfolin
Community Builders book cover“Community
Builders”
Book talkBook
talkBook talk Book talkBook
talkBook talk
NEW BOOK · 2026

“Community Builders”

Endorsed by Kim Mi-kyung, one of Korea's best-known speakers. 24 years of experience building communities people choose to join.

Book talks · the Community Builders story →

Author of “Community Builders” (2026) · forewords for “Your Own Work,” “Great Communities Lead Differently,” and more

See all press & interviews →
Insights

News & insights

Cases and tips from our workshops, insight tours, talks and events. Updated regularly.

More on our Brunch magazine (Kakao's publishing platform) →

About · Youngsun Paek (Rory)

Experience built on the ground

From HR, education and culture to Brunch and Storyfunding at Daum and Kakao, then into local and community work. Today, as founder of the brand communication studio Flying Whale, he connects brands and people wider and deeper through brand communities, events, education, workshops and tours.

Youngsun Paek speaking
In the field — talks · workshops · moderating
  • 2019–nowFounder, Flying Whale
  • 2019–nowContributor, folin (JoongAng Ilbo's business-insight platform)
  • 2026Culture Cities consultant — Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism
  • 2026Youth-Friendly Cities consultant — Office for Government Policy Coordination
  • 2024–nowAdjunct Professor, Hallym University Graduate School of International Studies
  • PastSecretary-General, Local Brand Forum (2024–2026)
  • PastKakao — startup growth support, Brunch, Storyfunding; Kakao Impact
  • PastDaum — HR & marketing; Hanwha Hotels & Resorts (63 City) — Culture Business Division
Propose

Let's make something together

From a single talk to a large project. Click a button below and we'll pre-fill the email subject for you. Scope, timeline and role are flexible.

STEP 1Inquiry
STEP 2Discuss & assess
STEP 3Design & propose
STEP 4Run & operate
STEP 5Review & grow
Seongsu Insight Tourwalkshop · teams/execs→ Team workshopReshape how your team works→ Talks & lecturesBranding · community · AI & business strategy→ Conferences & eventsPlanning & operations→ Community buildingDesigning connection→ Something elseTell us what you have in mind→
✉ Get in touch Company brief (PDF)

Email, phone or KakaoTalk — whichever is easiest. Contact details are just below ↓

Contact

Proven experience,
tailored to your team.

From Samsung, Hyundai Motor, LG and KT&G to public institutions and universities — we design workshops, talks, tours and events to fit your goal. Get in touch anytime.

✉ rockdamf@gmail.com 📞 +82-10-7316-0402 💬 KakaoTalk rockdam 📷 Instagram 🔗 Linktree