The first product of The Pirates, the Korean company behind seafood platform Ineogyoju Haejeokdan, was not an app. It was a blog. In 2013, founder Yoon Ki-hong photographed fish at Seoul’s Noryangjin Fish Market and posted that day’s prices. A case study published by Korean startup outlet Mobiinside traces how that content-led growth strategy became a business with ₩57 billion (about $41 million) in 2024 revenue. The series notes it is based on public reporting and may not reflect the founder’s exact intent.
Yoon decided the core price content would never be monetized, arguing that heavy fees on consumers or merchants keep people away. Revenue instead came from distribution: buying seafood directly from producers and selling it to market merchants and consumers, connecting all three user groups.
Accurate daily prices alone drove a surge in visitors. Merchants joined because the platform brought younger customers, and about 700 stores across Korea now publish business information.
Vetted partner stores and direct sourcing carried trust into the purchase.
The company began moving from third-party logistics to its own delivery network and in 2025 adopted ROOUTY, an AI route-optimization tool with real-time vehicle tracking. For fresh food, trust is ultimately decided at the customer’s door.
In 2013, founder Yoon Ki-hong began posting photos and daily seafood prices from Noryangjin Fish Market on a blog. The Pirates was incorporated in January 2018.
Through distribution: it buys seafood directly from producers and sells it to market merchants and consumers.
Revenue rose from ₩45.1 billion in 2021 to ₩57 billion in 2024, with 174% average annual growth over seven years, and it reached its first monthly profit in December 2022.
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