'Connected at our own pace' theme

Oct. 7-10 event features Professor Kim Young-min and others

[Provided by Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation]
[Provided by Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation]

The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation announced Tuesday that it will hold the 2026 ONSO Festival in the Myeong-dong area of Seoul from Oct. 7 to 10, in partnership with Ondream Society.

This year's festival is organized around the theme "Connected at our own pace," bringing together lectures, performances, exhibitions and hands-on experiences in a multidisciplinary cultural event.

The ONSO Festival is the flagship event of Ondream Society, a social impact platform operated by the foundation. Previously held as a knowledge festival centered on Ondream Society, this year's edition expands its footprint to include the courtyard of Myeongdong Cathedral and the Catholic Center, among other venues across the Myeong-dong area.

The target audience has also broadened from youth-focused to all generations, with programs designed to bring together people of different lifestyles and paces of life for shared participation and exchange.

The flagship program, ONSO Talk, runs over two days on Oct. 9 and 10. Seoul National University Professor Kim Young-min, writer Lee Nak-jun and writer-musician Yozoh will take part, sharing insights on life and their experiences of forging their own paths at their own pace.

The highlight stage, ONSO Live, will be held at 8 p.m. on Oct. 8 in the courtyard beside Myeongdong Cathedral. The Classic, Jazzbe and Far East Asian Tigers are among the acts set to perform, weaving together stories of different lives through music.

Participatory programs for the public are also on offer. At Ondream Society, scheduled activities include a gardening program by Brothers Keeper, a yoga class by YouTuber Yogaboy and a brunch art workshop by artist Kim A-reum. In the courtyard of the Catholic Center, outdoor programs will include an intergenerational dance class, a cross-generational mini sports day, and caricature and art classes.

A program spotlighting the history of the festival venues also stands out. Ondream Society — located on a site where Yun Seon-do and Lee Hoe-yeong once lived — will host the "Myeong-dong Heritage Exhibition," which reexamines the concerns those figures held in their youth through the eyes of today's young generation. A "Myeong-dong Story Tour," in which visitors walk through historically significant sites in the neighborhood while engaging with the exhibition's content, will follow.

"This is a festival where people living at their own different paces come together in one place — Myeong-dong — to understand and connect with one another through music, art, stories and experiences," a foundation official said. "We hope the message of respecting and supporting different ways and speeds of life will reach as many people as possible."

Meanwhile, the foundation has been active internationally as well, recently hosting a main session at the 2026 Asia Impact Nights in Kobe, Japan, where it joined leading figures in Asia's impact investment ecosystem to discuss the role of capital and avenues for collaboration in pursuit of sustainable social innovation.


eyre@heraldcorp.com