'Korea's financial market needs urgent asset rebalancing': FSC commissioner at Herald Money Festa 2026

"At a time when Korea urgently needs to rebalance away from its heavy tilt toward real estate, I think this is a very timely theme."

Financial Services Commission Standing Commissioner An Chang-guk made the remarks Friday in a congratulatory address at Herald Money Festa 2026, held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. "As a government, we feel a great sense of responsibility to channel that aspiration into stable asset formation," he said.

Now in its third year, Herald Money Festa 2026 carries the theme "Money Rebalancing: Recalibrating the Weight of Assets." The event aims to encourage investors to look beyond simply picking investment targets and to reassess their asset allocation and management strategies amid growing market volatility.

An said the balance is gradually shifting. "Our citizens are now saying that shares are a more advantageous way to build wealth than real estate," he said. "When I visit finance and investment events these days, I can feel the enthusiasm for financial investment growing by the day."

The government is also stepping up policy support to match that enthusiasm. On Wednesday, it launched the second National Participation Growth Fund, allowing investors to share in the gains of advanced strategic industries and key national industries. Next year, the government plans to introduce a productive-finance ISA and the Child Independence Fund.

"As risks and volatility grow amid expectations and disappointments over AI, rising interest rates and geopolitical tensions, I believe a range of policy support measures are needed to help people build assets soundly with a long-term perspective," An said.

An said the government is also working hard to build an attractive capital market. "Korea Premium Week, which kicked off this week, is one such effort — we will develop it into a platform for wide-ranging and in-depth discussions on corporate value, market change and government policy," he said.

On Herald Money Festa 2026 itself, An expressed hope that "this event will give investors an opportunity to understand the changing investment environment and, further, to strengthen their investment capabilities."

"Above all, in turbulent times of growing risk and volatility, information and knowledge are valuable — but wisdom, the ability to clearly understand your own goals and the risks you can tolerate and to make rational judgments, matters even more," An said. "That is the key benchmark that distinguishes a wise investor."