What we learned from building spaces for people.

Their story matters here because it shows what kind of space they know how to build, and what kind of behavior they will not normalize.

Jongjin and Hyekyung met online, but the point is not the fact that they met there. The point is what it taught them: online spaces can become real relationships when trust and care are protected.

That belief shapes how they think about a Discord-based community. Trust can grow online, relationships can last there, and people can be hurt there too.

During their honeymoon, they joined the Park Geun-hye impeachment candlelight protests. Years later, they joined protests with their son calling for the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol after his unconstitutional and unlawful martial law declaration on December 3, 2024.

For them, this is part of how they understand community: when universal values are at stake, showing up, speaking, and taking responsibility as citizens is part of how a community is protected.

Before Siggu, they built Hive Arena, a curated coworking community in Seoul. It focused less on renting desks and more on people, community, and meaningful relationships. It became a place for software engineers, remote workers, indie hackers, foreign builders, and local tech communities.

In 2016, Forbes included Hive Arena in The 11 Best Coworking Spaces In Asia. In the article, Hyekyung described Hive Arena's goal as building Seoul's most thriving tech community.

In 2017, they converted Hive Arena into a coliving house. That experience made it clearer that community work is connected to people's daily lives. People did not only need a place to work. They needed a place where they could feel welcomed, remembered, and at home.

Some residents described Hive Arena as a home away from home, a place where valuable friendships formed, and something close to a family living together.

Hyekyung's experience shapes how Siggu thinks about dignity at work.

After Jongjin wrote a public recommendation for her as a tech recruiter, around 20 companies contacted her. She went on to work as a tech recruiter for three years.

Later, when she was unfairly dismissed while the company cited business difficulties, she challenged it in court and won. That experience matters to Siggu because communities should not only make people feel welcome. They should also refuse to normalize unfairness, underestimation, or the quiet erosion of dignity.

Siggu's Code of Conduct is not a formality. It comes from what Jongjin and Hyekyung have learned by building, hosting, showing up, and refusing to treat people carelessly.

Their experience points to the same lesson: community only works when trust is protected. People need places where unfinished work can be brought without being carelessly judged or easily dismissed.

That is why Siggu sets clear standards for behavior. The Code of Conduct exists to protect the people doing the work, especially when the work is unfinished, uncertain, or easy to underestimate.