Hi, I'm Doğukan.
Pronounced dough-khan. In Korean I go by 도욱환.
I'm from Türkiye and live in Seoul. The thing I care about most is simple: make Korea easier to start from.
Most of my work is around international people in Korea: students, founders, digital nomads, travelers, and people who are trying to build a life here without a clear map. I value showing up, keeping things simple, and building things that actually help.
I started Korea Friends because I knew how it felt to arrive somewhere and not know the small things. Housing. SIM cards. Bank accounts. Friends. Jobs. School culture. Who to ask.
Before that, I was a kid racing karting in Türkiye, then a basketball player trying to make it to the NBA, then a student in the US, then an exchange student in Korea who decided to stay.
I don't think I'm building anything perfectly. But I keep noticing problems around me, and I usually end up trying to make something useful for the people going through them.
Quick Facts
Story
Some of the moments that explain why I build for international people in Korea. Most recent first.
Hoppers
Now I'm building at Hoppers: the systems behind housing, trips, digital nomad communities, bookings, websites, automations, and operations.
Founder ecosystem and student leadership
I worked with Founder Institute Korea, Seoul Startups, MIKTA Youth Network, Sogang PALS, and student council work around international students, founders, translation, events, and community.
Korea Friends and Koho
Korea Friends started from Sogang Friends and grew into 15+ communities with 2,500+ members. Koho tried to make housing easier for international students and was selected for Challenge! K-Startup 2023.
Sogang student council
I helped create and manage the English account for Sogang University's student council, then later became director of the international students & culture department.
Small survival content
Korean Ice Cream was a small project with friends about Korean basics, survival apps, barbershop phrases, Korean table culture, and making foreign friends.
Korea started as exchange
Korea was supposed to be six months at Kookmin University. I liked the country enough to stay, study Korean, and later transfer into Sogang University for computer science & engineering.
America, school, content
After injuries, I started making videos and explaining study-abroad paths for Turkish students. I studied computer science at Husson and did filming/editing work through Low Key Media and Teer Basketball Training.
Basketball was the plan
For almost 10 years, I wanted basketball to be my life. I made highlight videos, trained, moved through Türkiye and the US, and aimed very high.
Kart #9
I raced as number 9 in a national karting development cup in Türkiye. I mostly remember the feeling of being tiny, nervous, and completely locked in.
Small starts in Türkiye
Before Korea became the main story, there were early attempts like Caylaklar and entrepreneurship programs like Innoccampus. I still need to add exact dates, but they belong here because this was the start of me learning sales, content, and building with friends.