Lee Eok-won "All-out effort to discover and invest in hidden innovative companies across the Republic of Korea"

Lee Eok-won, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, New Year's Address

In his New Year's address on the 1st, Lee Eok-won said that this year he will promote a 'financial transformation' centered on three pillars: productive finance, inclusive finance, and trusted finance. He emphasized the role of the financial sector in discovering and nurturing promising domestic companies and promised that the government will provide focused support for the advancement of financial companies.

Lee said, "If last year was a year for urgent livelihood recovery, then 2026 must be the first year of 'national great leap' and 'growth for all,'" adding, "To that end, we will speedily pursue a 'financial transformation' that leads Korea's economic great leap."

He said the government will first make tangible results from its major financial policy of 'productive finance.' He said, "Through the National Growth Fund, which brings together the government, finance, and industry, we will boldly invest in advanced industries and support the development of the financial industry into an advanced industry based on AI," and emphasized, "We will also work to soundly build the digital asset ecosystem."

He expressed the government's will to improve the corporate environment and systems in the capital market, which will be the mainstay of 'productive finance.' Lee said, "We will entrench the one-strike-out and the principle of shareholder protection, and in particular, we will enhance the trust and innovation of the KOSDAQ market to establish a virtuous cycle in which citizens and companies grow together."

On the 'inclusive finance' front, he said he would reform policy microfinance products and institutionalize contributions by financial companies to alleviate the high-interest burdens of financially marginalized groups.

Lee pledged, "We will strengthen financial institutions' roles in serving low-income households by linking policy microfinance with private finance," adding, "In particular, we will reform debt restructuring and collection practices so that finance becomes 'finance that helps people's lives' and 'finance that stands with people in real hardship.'"

He also presented the keyword 'trusted finance.' He said, "We will carry out the Financial Services Commission's core duties of financial stability and consumer protection without gaps so that finance becomes a safety net for the national economy and a steward for the public," and added, "We will closely monitor latent risks such as household debt, real estate project finance, and industrial restructuring, and, if necessary, proactively implement prepared market stabilization measures to firmly maintain financial stability." He also said, "We will strengthen efforts to thoroughly protect consumers from financial crimes and accidents and to promptly remedy victims."

Lee said, "The coming Byeong-o year (丙午年) is the year of the red horse," and asked, "I hope financial professionals will have the spirit of Baekrak Sangma (伯樂相馬) so that finance leads Korea's economic great leap." Baekrak Sangma is an idiom derived from Baekrak, a person from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods who found the merit of a horse that had been pulling a salt cart and raised it into a fine steed.

Lee added, "It is time for us financial people to demonstrate such discernment and foresight," saying, "The qualities of a thousand-ri horse can be found everywhere in this world, but they can become a thousand-ri horse only when they meet Baekrak. I will make this year one in which the dreams of innovation, entrepreneurship, and challenge across every corner of the Republic of Korea meet finance, become fine horses, and finance also develops together."

Shin Min-kyung, Hankyung.com reporter radio@hankyung.com