'They rushed the speaker even after the lecture' — investment gurus draw crowds at Herald Money Festa 2026

"Going from booth to booth on the stamp tour felt like a treasure hunt on a school field trip when I was little. I plan to stay for every lecture today — from Kim Kyung-pil's opening talk all the way to Oh Geon-young's closing session." — A man in his 50s surnamed Kwon, from Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province

"I stopped by a shooting-range booth after the real estate seminar and hit the target on my third and final shot to win a prize. It was such a thrill." — A woman in her 50s surnamed Kang, from Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province

More than 18 visitors crowded the hallway outside the seminar room immediately after Kim In-man, head of the Real Estate Economy Research Institute, finished his lecture Friday. Questions poured in around specific scenarios — including whether it is better to receive a parent's home as a gift or to sell it outright when doing so would make the recipient a multi-property owner.

Wealth-building know-how spanning real estate, finance and the securities industry converged in one place, drawing about 15,000 visitors over two days at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Seminar rooms were packed with attendees eager to hear lectures on real estate, shares and other investments. The crowd spanned a wide range of ages — from high school seniors who had just finished their college entrance exams, to university couples preparing for careers in finance, to retirees planning inheritances, to families out for the weekend.

The experiential booths were equally busy. Participants flocked to a range of side programs, including fortune-telling and traditional astrology readings, personal color consultations and self-care gua sha sessions.

Lim Jeong-nam, 35, who lives in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, took a half-day off work to attend. "I started getting interested in share investment last year and have been going to related seminars," she said. "Meeting the expert speakers in person was motivating, and I found it much easier to concentrate listening to a lecture live than watching investment videos online."

Lim Da-eun, 28, who came with her boyfriend, traveled from Sejong to Seoul after learning about the festival through a news report. "I attended a share lecture in the morning and plan to stay for more sessions," she said.

The seminar rooms were so full it was nearly impossible to find an empty seat. At a session Saturday led by Choi Ji-seon, a director at Woori Investment Securities' Gangnam Financial Center, more than 25 attendees stood at the back because there were no seats left.

Enthusiasm ran equally high at Kim Hak-ryeol's lecture, "Will home prices rise or fall next year?" — delivered by the head of the Smart Tube Real Estate Research Institute. Every time Kim advanced a slide, the audience simultaneously raised their phones to photograph the screen. One man in his 70s filled a palm-sized notebook with dense handwritten notes.

Ahn Myeong-suk, 61, who came with her daughter, said she watches Kim Hak-ryeol's Tuesday morning live broadcasts without fail. "I saw him mention the event on his show and wanted to meet him in person," she said. Ahn also raised her hand to ask a question directly: she wants to buy a property in her daughter's name but is short about 150 million won ($110,000) in cash and was looking for advice.

More than 18 visitors gathered outside the seminar room right after Kim In-man's lecture, sharing their investment dilemmas. Questions poured in around specific situations — including whether it is better to receive a parent's home as a gift or to sell it when doing so would make the recipient a multi-property owner.

Lee Woo-hyeon, a high school senior who had just finished his college entrance exams, attended a lecture by Yoo Dong-won, a division head at Yuanta Securities Korea. "He backed everything up with data, which made it feel credible," Lee said. "I'm still a minor, so there are restrictions on investing, but I want to start investing in earnest once I come of age, using what I learned today."

Education seminars drew parents' attention alongside the finance, securities and real estate sessions. Hong Jin-ho, 46, took a day off work to attend. "I work in development and I'm already seeing AI shrink the number of jobs on the ground," he said. "I've been increasingly worried about how to educate my children in the AI era, and I came hoping to find some answers in the relevant lectures."

Outside the seminar rooms, experiential programs kept visitors lingering. Lines formed at the personal color diagnosis booth, where attendees waited to find out which color palette suits them best. The photo-booth station was equally popular with those wanting a memento of the day. At the fortune-telling program, a steady stream of visitors sought readings on their financial luck, career prospects, business fortunes and health based on their birth dates.

A worker in the IT industry surnamed Hwang said he had come primarily for a lecture by a research director surnamed Kim but ended up getting investment-related advice from the fortune-teller as well. "The reading said people in their 50s are in a better position to invest than those in their 40s, and that next year is a better time to sell a home than this year," he said. "Since it was a finance event, even the fortune-telling was tied to economics and went into real detail — I found it fascinating."

A self-care gua sha massage class held Friday afternoon drew 10 pre-registered participants. The instructor distributed gua sha tools and oil before demonstrating the technique — tapping the scalp and sweeping along the facial contour — while participants followed along one step at a time.

Kim, a 34-year-old office worker, said managing one's health and appearance is just as essential today as managing one's investments. "I got to pick up financial knowledge and learn self-care techniques at the same event — two birds, one stone," he said.

A stamp tour was also on offer: visitors who stopped by all 10 booths — including those of KB Financial Group and the Korea Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation — were eligible for prizes. Attendees carried leaflets and tracked down each booth marked on the floor map to collect stamps. Prizes included Galaxy Buds Pro 4 earbuds, Instax Mini Evo cameras and CJ prepaid cards, among others.

Kim Ji-tae, 24, a university student, said he carved out time to attend even though midterm exams are coming up. "I only visited two booths today and already walked away with a Dubai Chewy Cookie, a toothbrush set, a pen and tissues — it felt like getting gifts," he said. He added that being able to study investing and enjoy the hands-on activities alongside friends from his bank extracurricular program made the day all the more fun.