Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon among VIPs attending opening reception
Venue packed from opening ceremony with enthusiastic crowd
The Herald Business launched Herald Money Festa 2026 under the theme of "money rebalancing."
The event, held Friday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, drew a large gathering of government officials and financial industry leaders to discuss how Korean society can tackle the challenge of asset redistribution. Attendees included Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport First Vice Minister Kim I-tak, Financial Services Commission Standing Commissioner Ahn Chang-guk, Korea Federation of Banks Chairman Cho Yong-byung, Korea Life Insurance Association Chairman Kim Cheol-ju, General Insurance Association of Korea Chairman Lee Byung-rae, Credit Finance Association Chairman Lee Dong-cheol, and Korea Credit Counseling and Recovery Service Chairwoman and Korea Inclusive Finance Agency President Kim Eun-kyung.
Now in its third year, Herald Money Festa 2026 held its opening ceremony Friday morning at Art Hall 1 of Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, under the theme "Money Rebalancing: Recalibrating the Weight of Assets."
The venue was already buzzing with guests and industry officials before the official opening. Attendees gathered in a tea-time lounge set up in one corner of the hall for informal conversation.
At the opening ceremony, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said more than 75,000 people had participated in the city's Young Tech financial education program from 2021 to 2025, and that young people who took part in counseling for two or more years saw their net assets grow by an average of 45 percent compared to their first session.
Oh said the city has also been running the "Seoul Re-Tech Program" since last year to help middle-aged residents prepare for a stable retirement, adding that the program achieved roughly 200 percent of its targets for both education and counseling in its first year and drew a strong response from that age group.
"I hope the insights and advice from experts today serve as a good guide — turning vague worries into concrete plans and helping each person establish their own standard for asset management suited to their life," he added.
Financial Services Commission Standing Commissioner Ahn Chang-guk, representing the financial authorities at the event, said a gradual shift is underway in Korea's investment landscape, which has long been skewed toward real estate. "The public is now saying stocks are a more advantageous way to build wealth than real estate, and when I attend finance-related events recently, I can feel the enthusiasm for financial investment growing by the day," he said.
Following the opening ceremony, VIP guests including financial regulators and industry leaders toured booths set up by financial firms, securities companies, construction companies and public institutions, receiving briefings on each organization's flagship products and services.
Korea Inclusive Finance Agency President and Korea Credit Counseling and Recovery Service Chairwoman Kim Eun-kyung visited the joint booth of the two organizations to encourage staff, asking them to add explanations for terms that younger visitors and children might find difficult to understand.
"Anyone who needs policy-backed financial support for low-income households can call 1397 and we will take care of everything," Kim said.
Herald Money Festa 2026 runs through Saturday, offering investment advice from leading speakers in areas including stocks and real estate. More than 30 companies — among them commercial banks and construction firms — are participating to showcase their key products and services, and a range of hands-on programs are also available, including personal color consultations and traditional fortune-telling.
hyuk@heraldcorp.com
won@heraldcorp.com
quq@heraldcorp.com
