[Power K Women] Shocked by the "Shoe Insole Pad" Story, Founded a Business... 10 Years Later, a Pioneer in Women's Health Innovation

Interview with Kim Dojin, CEO of Happy Monday


A Decade in Business: Strengthening the Femtech Sector

Systematic Women's Health Management through Menstrual Data

Sparking Discussion with Views on Sanitary Pad Distribution

"We Will Revolutionize Women's Health Management"

For Kim Dojin, CEO of Happy Monday, the year 2016 remains a memorable one. She recalls being deeply shocked when media reports surfaced about a middle school girl who, unable to afford sanitary pads, used shoe insoles as a substitute. It was a stark reminder that, even in a society of abundance, there are still some for whom essential items that every woman needs are not a given.

Her concern—"Let’s make high-quality, affordable sanitary products"—led to her founding a business. In an industry dominated by large corporations, Kim attracted attention by presenting a new business model that significantly reduced distribution, logistics, and marketing costs. More recently, she drew public attention for openly expressing her views on product pricing and distribution structures for women’s health products in Korea. Kim now emphasizes that menstruation should not just be regarded as a matter of feminine hygiene but as a central aspect of “women’s health management.” We spoke with her about women’s health and the future of femtech (female + technology).

Kim Dojin, CEO of Happy Monday, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily at his office in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

- This year marks the 10th anniversary of Happy Monday’s founding. What is the issue you are most focused on these days?

▲ We are now going a step beyond merely producing and supplying feminine hygiene products, and are focusing on services that help women better understand their menstrual cycles and bodily changes so that they can take a more proactive approach to personal health management. Happy Monday’s business largely consists of two main areas: “physical care,” where we manufacture and supply products directly, and “digital care,” which is based on an application to help women manage their own health. We are currently strengthening the second area. Our app is evolving from simply recording and notifying users of their menstrual cycles, to a comprehensive health management service for women.

- What made you decide to focus more deeply on “femtech”?

▲ It began with the realization that far more women than expected manage their health without fully understanding their bodies. In industry, the focus has often been on “how to make and supply good sanitary pads at low cost and at scale.” But, for individual women, the real question is about “what products and services their own bodies need” and “how to identify and access these.”

Until now, products and services related to women’s health have been scattered, and the industry, too, was divided among products and suppliers. Going forward, I believe we need an approach that identifies the needs and health status of each woman and connects her with suitable products and services. Manufacturing alone has its limits in this role—services such as femtech must evolve alongside production to fulfill it.

Kim Dojin, CEO of Happy Monday, is interviewing with The Asia Business Daily at the office in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

- Through your business, you have met many female customers. What are the most common challenges that women face during menstruation?

▲ The biggest challenge is recognizing one’s menstrual patterns and interpreting what they mean. At the most basic level, it’s important to know whether your cycle is regular or irregular. If irregular, is it within a normal range, or should you look for a cause? For most people, it’s not always easy to make that determination on their own.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is similar. Many women experience a variety of symptoms, but do not know at what point those symptoms exceed the usual range and require medical attention. Many only visit a doctor when their symptoms become quite severe. In a way, there’s been a “black box”—an unaddressed area that exists between the typical experience of premenstrual symptoms and the point at which medical intervention becomes necessary.

- Is filling that “unaddressed area” the core of Happy Monday’s approach to women’s health management?

▲ Yes. Until now, public support for women’s health has focused on providing products or financial aid when obvious issues arise, such as lack of access to pads or infertility. Yet when you look at women’s lives, there are numerous symptoms and stages in between that require management. Menstruation repeats at roughly 30-day intervals, and as women get older, issues related to pregnancy, childbirth, and other health topics may arise or change.

But have women systematically received the information they need for their bodies during these processes? In most cases, the answer is no. Many have accepted discomfort as “just the way it is” or resigned themselves to it. I believe that we must start recognizing these previously accepted inconveniences as health problems and work to address them.

- Earlier this year, President Lee Jaemyung’s remarks about sanitary pad prices re-ignited public discussion about the cost of pads and menstrual rights in Korea. Do you think public perceptions of menstruation have changed compared to 10 years ago, when the “shoe insole sanitary pad” case occurred?

▲ I wouldn’t say that perceptions have significantly changed. Ten years ago, even the very concept of “menstrual rights” was just starting to form as a subject of public discourse. Today there is at least a social consensus that menstrual rights should be protected. In other words, the discussion has advanced from “Do we need menstrual rights?” to “What actions should we take to secure them?”

Still, perspectives on menstrual rights remain somewhat superficial. As the debate over pad pricing is often framed within the context of price stability, the focus has been on “how to supply inexpensive pads.” Of course, it is a fundamental part of menstrual rights that everyone should be able to afford sanitary pads, and the fact that the President addressed pad pricing is meaningful in itself. However, the discussion cannot end there. The definition of menstrual rights must extend to whether women receive sufficient information about the changes occurring in their bodies and whether they have the ability to understand and respond proactively to symptoms related to menstrual cycles or hormonal changes.

Kim Dojin, CEO of Happy Monday, poses before an interview with The Asia Business Daily at his office in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

- You have often emphasized that technology to improve women’s health can also help address broader social issues such as low birth rates and population decline. What role do you think femtech can play in society?

▲ We have consistently highlighted that menstruation is an indicator of women’s health status. Menstruation is a result of hormonal changes within the female body. If the menstrual cycle suddenly becomes irregular or if there are differences from the usual pattern, it can be a signal to pay closer attention to bodily changes.

Women’s health is not simply a personal concern. Studies by McKinsey, the World Economic Forum (WEF), and others show that narrowing health disparities between men and women raises women’s economic participation and reduces productivity losses and premature deaths from disease, yielding substantial socio-economic benefits. In a time of population decline, it is important not only to increase the new population, but also to help the current population maintain healthy social and economic activity for longer. In this sense, investing in women’s health is ultimately about boosting the sustainability of society as a whole.

- What is Happy Monday’s ultimate goal?

▲ It is to innovate how women understand and manage their health. Ultimately, I want our company to be one that helps women fully realize their potential. This has been the reason for Happy Monday’s existence since our founding—and it hasn’t changed.

More specifically, I want Happy Monday to become a “hormone intelligence” company. This means understanding women’s hormone-related data and patterns and, on that basis, helping women make better choices in their daily lives. I hope to continue advancing this area by building on the data and technology that Happy Monday has accumulated so far.

- Is there a book you would recommend to aspiring female leaders?

▲ I would recommend by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard. I recall reading it three or four years after starting my business. Patagonia is well known for its strong corporate philosophy, but what struck me most was not just the philosophy itself but how it is embodied in detailed principles, from how they make products to how they run their company. It made me realize that a company’s philosophy can really be made concrete at every step.

- As a pioneering female founder in the women’s health field, is there any advice you would give to the next generation?

▲ When running a company, I think the ability to figure out who can provide the answers or insights you need when you feel lost or blocked is crucial. A company is like a living organism—constantly changing based on circumstances—and a founder is often faced with roads they’ve never been down before. At times like that, you need to be able to find the right person to seek advice from. Still, no matter how good the advice, the ultimate decision is yours alone—no one else can be responsible for the choices you make. In both business and life, as much as we want to control things, there will always be factors we can’t control.

If I had to pick the two most important things for sustaining a business long-term, I’d say “cash flow” and “the CEO’s mental strength.” No matter how big the crisis, as long as the company still has enough funds to keep going and the CEO can endure, you can move forward. But if either collapses, the business will inevitably stop. In the end, it’s maintaining the power to keep moving forward that’s most important.

Kim Dojin, CEO of HappyMonday, poses before an interview with The Asia Business Daily at his office in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Cho Yong-Jun

▶About Kim Dojin, CEO of Happy Monday

Kim Dojin majored in business administration and minored in anthropology at Seoul National University. She co-founded Happy Monday in 2017, where she has overseen the company’s overall direction and strategy. As one of Korea’s leading femtech figures, Kim received the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Award in 2025, was named an Unreasonable Impact Fellow in 2023, and was featured in Forbes’ 2021 list of "30 Under 30 Asia."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.