The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation said on the 12th that its "2026 ONSO FESTIVAL," held from the 7th to the 10th at Ondream Society and across the Myeongdong area in central Seoul, drew a cumulative 10,000 participants.
The ONSO Festival is the flagship event of Ondream Society, a multipurpose cultural venue operated by the foundation. Building on Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo's entrepreneurial spirit and his philosophy of nurturing future generations, the foundation has consistently supported young people's growth and ambitions. This year's festival was likewise designed to help young adults discover their potential and find the courage to move forward through a range of experiences and encounters.
Ondream Society is a social space platform the foundation opened in Myeongdong in 2022. The first floor hosts multidisciplinary cultural festivals and visual art exhibitions, while impact startups in the foundation's fellow program occupy the sixth floor.
This year's festival expanded its stage into the wider Myeongdong area, including the side garden of Myeongdong Cathedral and the front yard of the Catholic Center. The foundation organized a heritage exhibition and a story tour tracing historic sites and events in Myeongdong, including the former home of the six Lee brothers — among them Lee Hoe-young and Lee Si-young — who sold off their entire fortune and crossed into Manchuria to found the Shinheung Military Academy, as well as the marker commemorating the YMCA sham wedding.
At "ONSO Talk," writer Lee Nak-joon, singer-songwriter Yozoh and Seoul National University professor Kim Young-min shared how each had carved out a path of their own. "ONSO Live in Myeongdong" featured performances by Kim Kwang-jin, Jazzbee and Far East Asia Tigers.
"This year we widened the stage to Myeongdong, an open part of the city center, so that more young people could draw inspiration close to their daily lives and encourage one another," said Chung Moo-sung, chairman of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation. "Carrying on our founder's conviction in the potential of future generations and his commitment to supporting their growth, we will work to establish Ondream Society as the defining space in Myeongdong where young people's dreams and challenges begin."