Korea Exchange booth draws crowds with mascot keyrings, Konex market showcase

At the Korea Exchange booth at Herald Money Festa 2026, held Saturday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza's Art Hall 1 in Jung-gu, Seoul, Ji, a worker in his 20s from Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, picked up a keyring featuring Korea Exchange's official mascots Hwangbi and Ungbi and listened to a staff member explain the Konex market.

A promotional video about Konex listings played on a monitor at one side of the booth, while pamphlets introducing the Konex market and the KRX gold market were laid out on the tables. Exchange staff handed out Hwangbi and Ungbi keyrings and pamphlets to visitors, focusing on raising awareness of the Konex market, which remains relatively unfamiliar to ordinary investors.

Konex is a stock market dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises, established in July 2013 to support early-stage SMEs and venture companies in raising funds and growing their businesses. According to SEIBRO, the Korea Securities Depository's securities information portal, as of Friday, 107 companies were listed on the Konex market, with a total market capitalization of 3.46 trillion won ($2.55 billion).

The question visitors most wanted answered at the Korea Exchange booth was what kind of market Konex actually is. "Since it is not yet a well-known market to many people, some visitors ask what Konex is, while others ask whether individual investors can participate," an exchange official said.

The official added that Konex, compared with the Kospi or Kosdaq, lists mainly early-stage SMEs and venture companies, giving investors the chance to discover firms with strong growth potential. "We have been preparing various ideas to revitalize the Konex market, and we wanted to use this opportunity to introduce the market to as many people as possible," the official said.

Ji, who said he invests in stocks regularly, said he had no immediate plans to invest in Konex when asked. "I think there would be less information available on companies listed there than on Kosdaq," he said. "It would be great if more information about the Konex market and its listed companies were made available."

The booth also showcased the KRX gold market, which has attracted growing investor interest in recent months. Pamphlets explained that gold can be bought and sold in units of one gram, and provided guidance on trading methods, taxes and procedures for withdrawing physical gold.

Park, a visitor in his 50s from Seoul, said he had assumed Korea Exchange handled only securities trading and only learned Saturday that it operates multiple markets, including a gold market. "Since it is run by a credible institution, I would like to look into trading on the KRX gold market," he said. Park, who said he had experience trading futures and options in the past, added with a laugh that the cute keyrings were what first drew him into the booth.

The Herald Business YouTube channel Investment360 booth, set up in one corner of the venue, was also packed with visitors. People of all ages lined up, from those in their 20s and 30s to seniors in their 70s and 80s.

The booth ran a capsule-toy event for visitors who verified their subscription to the Investment360 YouTube channel. When a staff member called out that subscribers would receive a gift, passersby stopped and looked over the banner. Visitors drew colorful capsules and opened the slips inside to find out what prizes they had won. Prizes included a Dyson hair dryer, a Fullio calf massager and a gold coin weighing 0.1 grams.

Yun, a visitor in his 40s, said he had heard about Money Festa through a YouTube advertisement and made a point of coming. "I first learned about the Investment360 channel through this event, but I have always been interested in personal finance topics like savings products and real estate, so I plan to follow the channel's videos closely going forward," he said.

Some visitors came specifically to learn about personal finance. Lee, a visitor in his 30s from Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, said a friend who attended last year had recommended the event, making this his first visit. "I have been thinking hard about when and how I can ever afford my own home," he said. "I am going to study hard by watching Investment360 from now on."