About Us
We are a team of bilingual and bicultural researchers with deep roots in both the U.S. and South Korea. Our team, based in the U.S. and Korea, works as a unified force to provide you with on-the-ground insights and strategic guidance. We don’t just analyze data; we bring a firsthand perspective to help you navigate new markets with confidence and clarity.
Rae Song, Ph.D.
Rae is a sociocultural researcher and the founder of Raydea, bringing over a decade of experience helping global teams navigate international markets with cultural fluency, empathy, and strategic clarity.
Bilingual in English and Korean, Rae brings a grounded perspective to UX and market research in South Korea. Her work bridges rigorous qualitative research with deep cultural insight, helping companies make sense of fast-evolving digital behaviors and consumer mindsets.
She earned her Ph.D. in Education and Applied Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she studied how language, identity, and culture shape human communication. Her career includes in-house roles in global tech companies like Meta and PayPal, where she led foundational and international research initiatives, as well as consulting roles for Korean startups expanding into U.S. markets.
In Korea, Rae is widely recognized as a leader in the UX research field. She authored a book on qualitative UX research (written in Korean), taught college-level research courses, and has mentored the next generation of researchers and product professionals through training and coaching.
Chris Lee
Chris is a senior researcher, project manager, military veteran, husband, and father of two.
His career spans research agencies and in-house teams, where he has conducted over 1,000 user interviews and led 100+ research projects, from early discovery to evaluative usability testing. His work has supported product launches, improved user experiences, and helped global clients navigate Korean culture through immersive fieldwork.
What sets Chris apart is a unique blend of global perspective and disciplined execution. A UC Berkeley graduate in Political Science, Chris also served as a Korean Navy officer, collaborating with senior U.S. Navy leaders.
These experiences shaped his resilience, cross-cultural expertise, and ability to build trusted partnerships with global teams at companies such as Meta, Airbnb, and Google. Clients value his rare mix of disciplined execution and strategic insight, which consistently drives impact.
Seungjun Woo
Seungjun is a UX researcher with six years of experience in Korea’s fintech and e-commerce sectors. An anthropology graduate of Bowdoin College, his fieldwork with Sámi youth in Finland continues to inform his cultural lens.
He began his career at Balancehero, a Seoul-based fintech innovator serving the Indian market, before becoming the first UX researcher at Hwahae, a leading beauty e-commerce platform, where he built the company’s research system from the ground up.
His career spans in-house and consulting roles, partnering with Meta, Airbnb, Lululemon, and Ocado to uncover insights that shape product and market strategy.
Beyond client work, he has taught UX research to aspiring practitioners, emphasizing methodological rigor and cultural sensitivity. With both international and local expertise, Seungjun bridges global teams and Korean users through empathy-driven, context-rich research.