Shin Ho-cheol (right), chief executive of Kakao Pay Securities, presents a 3.75-gram gold bar to the 30,000th marriage-verified customer on Wednesday. [Kakao Pay Securities]
Shin Ho-cheol (right), chief executive of Kakao Pay Securities, presents a 3.75-gram gold bar to the 30,000th marriage-verified customer on Wednesday. [Kakao Pay Securities]

Kakao Pay Securities said Wednesday that participation in its "stock wedding gift" campaign surpassed 30,000 during the first week of August — roughly two weeks after the campaign launched on July 22.

The campaign, titled "In 2026, South Korea is a country where you get stocks when you get married," gives domestic shares worth 50,000 won ($35) per person — up to 100,000 won per household — to couples who register their marriage this year and submit verification.

The campaign is designed to celebrate the start of married life with shares and encourage couples to build assets together. Participation crossed 15,000 within five days of launch and reached 20,000 in under 10 days.

Participants ranged in age from their 20s to their 60s. Those in their 30s made up the largest share at 71.7 percent, followed by those in their 20s at 23.9 percent and those in their 40s at 4.2 percent. Some 37 percent of applicants did not already hold a Kakao Pay Securities account.

Buoyed by the response, Kakao Pay Securities CEO Shin Ho-cheol personally met the 30,000th verified customer on Wednesday and presented them with a 3.75-gram gold bar.

The recipients were a couple in their 30s living in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, who had registered their marriage in March. "On top of the novel experience of receiving a wedding gift in the form of shares, being the 30,000th made it even more meaningful," they said. "We had so many expenses setting up our new home that investing felt out of reach — but the shares we received have become our first seed money as a couple."

Kakao Pay Securities said it plans to roll out additional campaigns offering stock gifts at other life milestones, including the birth of a child and landing a new job.

"Creating a culture where people express their feelings through shares — just as they send birthday wishes on KakaoTalk — is something Kakao Pay Securities is uniquely positioned to do," CEO Shin said. "We will continue to focus on delivering finance that gives people a stake in their future."

Applications and marriage certificate submissions are accepted through Jan. 10 next year. Couples can apply without opening a separate brokerage account by obtaining and submitting a marriage certificate through the KakaoTalk digital wallet. Full details are available under the "Events" menu in the "Securities" section at the bottom of the Kakao Pay app.

Kakao Pay Securities recently launched a fractional-share trading service for domestic listed stocks, allowing investments starting from as little as 1 won. The minimum trading unit has been lowered to 0.0001 share, making it possible to buy high-priced blue-chip stocks with small amounts. The service currently covers three stocks: Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Ecopro. The company said its goal is to create an environment where anyone can start investing with a modest sum.


jiyun@heraldcorp.com