[SeoulTech x IT Donga Joint Planning] Seoul National University of Science and Technology (hereinafter referred to as SeoulTech) operates various support programs to aid the growth of startups, including preliminary and early startup packages, maker spaces, and global collaboration. Furthermore, in partnership with IT Donga, it provides global news to assist startups in overseas promotion and expansion, introducing promising deep-tech startups both domestically and internationally.

The sewing industry in Korea, which began amidst the ruins of war in the 1950s, was a key player in driving the 'Miracle on the Han River.' Based on abundant labor and cheap raw materials, the Seoul Peace Market and the Dongdaemun area grew into global centers for clothing production from the 1960s to the 1980s. However, as labor costs rose, production bases moved to China and then to Southeast Asia. Consequently, Korea's sewing industry fell into decline.


Decades later, a deep-tech startup has emerged to revolutionize the sewing industry with artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. This startup is Leaflyze Co., Ltd. CEO Jong-ho Park shared insights into the company's business strategy and future vision.

Decision to Start a Business Utilizing Major and Experience

Founded in 2024, Leaflyze is a startup developing AI-based sewing automation solutions. The company name combines 'Leaf' and 'Analyze,' reflecting its core business of handling fabrics. According to CEO Jong-ho Park, 'leaf' is a refined expression resembling fabric, encapsulating the meaning of 'analyzing fabric' in the company name.

Jong-ho Park, who majored in computer engineering at Seoul National University, chose AI and graphics as his specialization in graduate school. After graduation, he joined the deep learning-based machine vision software startup SuaLab, developing AI programs that automate visual inspection using cameras. He then moved to Upstage, a startup focusing on large language models (LLM) and customized AI solutions, where he developed an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) solution that automatically recognizes and converts text in images or documents into text data, gaining further growth experience.

Jong-ho Park stated, “I joined SuaLab as a research officer in its early days and worked very hard. I was deeply interested in how the programs I developed changed the industry, which fueled my passion.” He added, “Watching SuaLab grow made me consider starting my own business. I decided to work at Upstage, believing it would be beneficial to experience a startup representing AI before venturing out on my own. After working there for about a year and a half, I felt ready to start my own business and resigned.”

Having accumulated diverse experiences at AI-specialized startups, Jong-ho Park explored various startup ideas and eventually focused on the sewing industry. Despite its long history and proven value, the sewing industry had accumulated significant inefficiencies due to its complex structure and vested interests. Jong-ho Park believed that the fundamental solution for the sewing industry was 'process automation solutions.' He decided to found Leaflyze, convinced that the essential technology required aligned with the capabilities of himself and his team.

AI Experts Unite to Innovate Traditional Sewing Industry


Leaflyze was founded by three AI experts: CEO Jong-ho Park, CTO Seung-hwan Lee, who researched character animation and 3D vision AI at Stanford University, and CPO Jong-min Park, a KAIST graduate who developed robotic control systems. They focused on innovating the entire sewing process using AI and robotics technology.

Leaflyze's flagship service is 'Teddify.' Teddify is a high-speed sewing ODM (Original Design Manufacturing) service that handles the entire process from product development to production. It has achieved the feat of reducing the typical six-month development and production process for sewing products to just one month. CEO Jong-ho Park emphasized the importance of agile manufacturing services, stating, “In the fast-changing goods market, the speed of product development is directly tied to competitiveness.”

Notably, Teddify incorporates digital twin technology. Digital twin technology replicates real-world objects, systems, and environments in a virtual space (digital environment), interlinking, analyzing, and predicting based on real-time data collected from sensors and IoT. Previously, customers had to wait 1-3 weeks each time a prototype (sample) was created to develop a new sewing product. With Teddify's virtual sample development system based on digital twin technology, customers can quickly check and modify the prototype's form within at least a day, resulting in high satisfaction.


Robot-based production process automation technology is also a core aspect of Teddify. Leaflyze is starting automation with the cutting phase among the three stages of the sewing process: Cutting, Making, and Trimming. Currently, they are developing a remote cutting automation system using leader-follower robots. CEO Jong-ho Park explained, “When a person works, the connected robot follows and learns. This method allows simultaneous production work and data accumulation.” He added, “Robots cannot autonomously perform tasks from the start. A period for accumulating data to train the robots is necessary. However, since immediate production is also crucial, we developed leader-follower robots. This approach allows humans and robots to work together, shortening the automation learning period. We can proceed with the introduction of automation solutions without halting production operations. We plan to introduce the remote cutting automation system on-site early next year.”

According to Leaflyze, Teddify can also address the chronic labor cost issue within the sewing industry. Given the labor-intensive nature of the industry, labor costs inevitably constitute a significant portion of production costs. Consequently, related companies gradually move to countries with lower labor costs, distancing themselves from the market and ultimately finding it challenging to reflect trends. CEO Jong-ho Park emphasized, “Teddify enables labor reduction through full robot automation. Being close to the market allows for quick trend adaptation and drastically reduced delivery times. It creates a structure capable of achieving sufficient price competitiveness.”

Direct Application Over Technology Sales…Rapid Value Verification

CEO Jong-ho Park highlighted 'direct operation' as Leaflyze's most significant differentiator. Typically, technology startups sell and provide their developed solutions on-site. Leaflyze applies its self-developed solutions to its manufacturing system, allowing for rapid verification of the technology's practical value.

Additionally, CEO Jong-ho Park stated, “Leaflyze decided to become the direct operator of the sewing industry. This allows us to immediately measure how much our technology reduces costs and shortens time. To sell technology, several steps such as value verification, raising industry awareness, and preparing conditions are necessary. We believe our chosen direct operation method is ultimately a faster way to confirm the technology's value.”


Leaflyze is increasingly receiving orders for custom production of sewing goods for large corporations, hotel sculptures, and robot wear. The use of Teddify shortens product manufacturing time and reduces costs, resulting in positive customer responses. Additionally, the company develops and produces numerous products in-house, such as the tiger and rabbit dolls. CEO Jong-ho Park explained, “As we work to establish a base for Korea's sewing industry, we are developing our products with a Korean theme.” He added, “Inspired by Korean folk paintings, we plan to commercialize the tiger from 'Hojakdo' and the rabbit from 'Togudo.'”

Leaflyze competes with technology rather than labor costs. By presenting a new model of fast and flexible production close to the market, it aims to bring the sewing industry back to Korea.

However, the journey was not easy. Leaflyze faced various trials and errors from its inception. CEO Jong-ho Park recalled, “We had no experience in the sewing industry or manufacturing. The know-how in this field is not something that can be found in papers or searches, making it even more challenging.” He added, “We experienced many sewing accidents firsthand. When the order was changed or the method was different, the outcome inevitably failed.”

Recognizing the need for the know-how known only to those in the sewing industry, CEO Jong-ho Park sought out skilled workers. As Leaflyze's sincerity became known, the number of partners gradually increased. By learning the know-how of skilled workers, they identified which aspects should be transformed by technology to be innovative and applied this to Teddify.


Additionally, they posted a job advertisement on Carrot Market for 'doll makers' and placed a signboard in front of their office seeking 'sewing machine operators.' They hired experienced sewing workers in part-time positions, working together and learning their know-how. CEO Jong-ho Park stated, “I was most concerned about whether we could rebuild a professional sewing workforce in Korea. However, more skilled sewing technicians than expected came forward.” He added, “Previously, there was a strong perception that sewing was poorly paid, but we strive to provide appropriate compensation by reducing unnecessary costs through technology. We believe such changes are necessary for a new generation to enter the sewing industry.”

Strategic Overseas Expansion

Leaflyze expects to surpass the break-even point this year. CEO Jong-ho Park stated, “Typically, it is difficult for sewing manufacturers to surpass the break-even point within two years. The fact that we, who were not even in the sewing industry, can achieve this within a year of founding is a significant achievement.”

Currently, Leaflyze's challenge is scaling up. They are considering acquiring or establishing a sewing factory and plan to develop a stable system for managing personnel and production status. CEO Jong-ho Park stated, “When scaling up, new issues can arise. Preparing well for these is most important. Although there are still many solutions to verify, we will build them step by step.”


Leaflyze dreams of expanding its 'Made in Market' strategy overseas. CEO Jong-ho Park explained, “The sewing industry continues to move from Korea to China and then to Southeast Asia to lower labor costs. However, the further it moves from the market, the slower communication becomes, leading to inefficiencies. The fundamental solution is to enhance efficiency through technology near the market.” He added, “Reducing labor through automation lowers total production costs. If logistics, customs, and warehouse costs are also reduced, prices can be similar to or lower than Southeast Asian production.” He further stated, “If we can create competitive pricing in Seoul, we can apply the same method in Tokyo, Japan, or New York, USA. After verifying minimal labor automation sewing in Korea, we will first expand to Japan.”

Leaflyze, which has also signaled green lights for overseas expansion, has been recognized for its business growth potential and was selected for the SeoulTech Early Startup Package Global Competency Enhancement Program this year. CEO Jong-ho Park stated, “We received commercialization funding through this program, which greatly helped in building the remote cutting automation system.” He added, “We were also given opportunities to participate in networking events, where we explored overseas expansion opportunities.”

Finally, CEO Jong-ho Park reiterated, “Although Korea's sewing industry has declined, Leaflyze wants to revive it. Creating a new standard for the sewing industry is Leaflyze's goal.”

IT Donga Reporter Park Gui-im (luckyim@itdonga.com)

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