01
Korean Economic Influence Across Canada
Business leaders and professionals across industries, in one room. Real influence, built city by city.
About
A small fire. A small room. A long conversation.
The Name
One word, two meanings.
MODAK carries a Korean word inside it — 모닥. It was the name Koreans once gave to the small fire villagers gathered around on summer evenings, sharing stories until the night grew long.
It also holds a verb — to gather, and to take up. A place where people come together and hold meaning between them, together.
Five letters in English carry the same intent.
M
Meaningful
Conversation that leaves something behind.
O
Open
Background, industry, and age set aside at the door.
D
Dialogue
Exchange, not lecture. Everyone brings their own.
A
And
All four must hold together for the room to work.
K
Kindness
The baseline we set for one another before anything else.
Three goals
What we are trying to shape.
02
The Next Generation
For those with the potential to go further, but no one to show the way. A seat by the fire, a hand forward, and access to rooms that might otherwise remain closed.
03
A Korean presence in Canadian society
Beyond individual achievement. Building a Korean presence in Canada that carries weight — one that is recognized, respected, and remembered.
How the room works
A room for those who bring something.
MODAK is for those who come with something to give, not simply something to gain. Selective, but never closed. The right people tend to find their way to the room.
We gather in dialogue, not lecture. No stage, no audience — just people bringing what they know, what they have lived, and what they are still trying to understand.
And above all, kindness. It is what makes the room possible.
How it began
It began with a question.
Marco and Kyusik crossed paths at several gatherings in Vancouver's Korean community. Somewhere along the way, a question began to take shape: could there be a smaller, more intentional room for conversations that rarely happen elsewhere?
A room where accomplished Koreans could speak openly around a single idea, and where those coming next could quietly find their way in.
Several gatherings later, that question became MODAK — intimate, unhurried, built around one idea, and always worth staying for.
The hosts
Those who keep the room.
Co-host
Marco Lee
Otherhand Ventures
Builds brands and commerce systems between Korea and Canada. Comes to the room with a founder's questions.
Co-host
Kyusik Shin
Richards Buell Sutton LLP
Cross-border lawyer working between Korea and Canada. Shapes the room, then lets the conversation take its own course.