Festival runs Tuesday through Thursday at OSCO in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province
Over 100 teams of youth Bizcool participants to take part
Startup idea presentations, entrepreneur lectures and AI technology experiences on offer
88 schools participating across the country
Young people from across South Korea are gathering to share startup ideas and entrepreneurial experiences at a three-day festival.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced Tuesday that the "2026 Youth Bizcool Festival" will run through Thursday at OSCO in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.
Bizcool is a portmanteau of "business" and "school," referring to a program that provides young people with entrepreneurship education and simulated startup experiences. Launched in 2002, it is one of South Korea's flagship youth entrepreneurship education programs.
This year's festival, themed "Everyone's Dream in Motion!," will bring together more than 100 Bizcool youth teams from across the country, along with startup education support institutions and companies. The event is designed as a platform for students to share and exchange the entrepreneurial achievements they have built over the past year.
Organized around the core themes of "connection, discovery and growth," the festival aims to strengthen ties among schools, local communities and businesses, while helping young participants explore career paths through the experiences of veteran entrepreneurs.
The opening ceremony on Tuesday will feature a student musical performance by the team that won last year's "Bizcool Showcase Grand Prize." A total of 50 awards will then be presented to individuals recognized for promoting youth entrepreneurship education and to winners of the Bizcool Camp final IR competition.
On the second day, participants will take part in a networking program to share startup ideas and activity experiences. Kwon Do-kyun, chief executive of Primer, and Son Joo-eun, chairman of MegaStudy, are among the speakers scheduled to share their entrepreneurial journeys and the value of taking on challenges.
A talk concert featuring four young entrepreneurs will also be held. The speakers are expected to share stories tailored to a teenage audience, covering everything from their first startup ventures as teenagers to experiences of failure and perseverance.
On the final day, Bizcool students from around the country will take the stage for the "Bizcool Showcase," presenting the talents and skills they have developed throughout the year.
An exhibition hall will operate throughout the festival. A school pavilion featuring 88 Bizcool-participating schools nationwide will showcase student-developed startup ideas and educational achievements.
Additional spaces include a promotional pavilion introducing the government's youth startup policy "Everyone's Startup," a corporate pavilion featuring innovative companies in the aerospace and beauty sectors, and a hands-on experience zone where visitors can try out AI and other emerging technologies.
The event connects youth entrepreneurship education to the broader startup ecosystem beyond in-school experiences. It is expected to give young people an opportunity to present their ideas to outside audiences, engage with working entrepreneurs, deepen their understanding of startups and take concrete steps toward shaping their career paths.
Mok Seung-hwan, director general of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' Startup and Venture Innovation Office, said the festival is "a celebration where young innovators of the future connect their ideas, discover new possibilities and grow — transcending the boundaries of school and region." He added that the ministry would "continue to actively support young people so they can imagine freely, take on challenges and grow without fear of failure."
boo@heraldcorp.com
