GroundK (CEO Dongwon Jang), a tourism-mobility company, has been named both a Busan Hidden Champion and a Busan Tourism Star Enterprise. The recognition centers on T-RiseUp, GroundK's SaaS asset-management platform for transport operators, and the company's growth as a tourism startup.
What the two titles mean
The Busan Hidden Champion title is awarded to outstanding small and mid-sized companies expected to drive Busan's future. It is a high-standing certification that scrutinizes not only quantitative results but also qualitative measures such as technical capability and growth plans. Rather than looking at revenue alone, the review weighs what a company has built and where it intends to go, which makes the title a demanding one to earn.
The Busan Tourism Star Enterprise title goes to only five tourism companies each year among those pursuing and delivering sustainable growth. With the door open to just five firms annually, the selection itself signals that a company's growth potential has been recognized within Busan's tourism ecosystem. Receiving both titles in close succession reflects GroundK's accelerating momentum as a tourism startup.
A business built around T-RiseUp
GroundK runs its IT business around T-RiseUp, a SaaS asset-management platform for transport operators. Alongside the platform, GroundK operates tailored mobility services for companies and institutions, combining system supply and on-the-ground operation in a single structure.
This approach goes beyond moving vehicles. It manages an operator's assets and operations through data, a technology-led model. What sets GroundK apart is that it supplies the platform to external clients while running the same system in its own field operations. The two titles signal that this capability and growth plan have passed a rigorous external review.
Proven across international events in Seoul, Busan, and Incheon
GroundK recently demonstrated its capability again across major international events held in Seoul, Busan, and Incheon. These included the Korea-Pacific Islands Summit in Seoul, the Climate Industry International Expo in Busan, and the 56th ADB Annual Meeting in Incheon. At international events where heads of delegation and large numbers of participants are on the move, the accuracy and reliability of transport shape the impression the event leaves.
As word of this work has spread through the industry, inquiries from domestic and overseas clients hoping to adopt T-RiseUp have continued to grow. Pairing system supply with field operation has steadily built trust within the sector, and the industry increasingly looks to what GroundK will do next.
The next step for a tourism startup
The two titles are more than one company's achievement; they reflect rising interest in and expectation for the tourism-startup ecosystem. GroundK has signaled its intent to keep paving the way for younger companies to grow, in its role as a leading tourism enterprise. Rather than keeping the fruits of its growth to itself, the company frames its path as one to share with the tourism startups walking the same road.
"This result was not achieved by GroundK alone; it came from the interest and expectation placed on tourism startups. As a leading tourism company, we will keep paving the way for younger companies to grow." — Seongbok Kim, Director, GroundK