With the Chuseok holiday approaching, financial firms are continuing social contribution activities. From purchases to help revitalise traditional markets to support for vulnerable groups such as seniors living alone and grandparent-headed households, and volunteering by employees, financial companies are expanding their touchpoints with local communities for the holiday.

On Sept. 23, the financial sector said the Financial Supervisory Service on Sept. 18 held a Chuseok sharing event at Bangsin Traditional Market in Seoul's Gangseo district with four financial companies including IBK Industrial Bank of Korea, Kiwoom Securities, KB Insurance and Shinhan Card, as well as the Salvation Army Korea.

With a jointly funded donation of 130 million won, the watchdog and the financial companies bought daily necessities such as rice cakes, fruit and vegetables, along with Onnuri gift certificates, and delivered them to vulnerable groups and social welfare organisations in the local community. Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin (이찬진) visited the market in person, purchased goods and listened to difficulties raised by merchants.

KB Kookmin Bank on Sept. 18 held a "2026 Chuseok Traditional Market Love Sharing" event at Yeongdeungpo Traditional Market in Seoul. It bought food and daily necessities at more than 70 traditional markets nationwide and delivered them to local welfare facilities and about 14,000 vulnerable households. It also ran a campaign to prevent financial fraud for merchants and visitors.

"Traditional Market Love Sharing" is a social contribution programme by KB Financial Group that delivers goods bought at traditional markets to neighbours in need in the community. It has continued for 16 years since 2011, and has so far purchased about 18.2 billion won worth of goods and delivered them to 266,000 households nationwide.

Shinhan Financial Group ran a "Chuseok Coexistence Campaign to Share Hope" for four days from Sept. 15 to 18 with participation by more than 2,000 group employees. Using their lunch breaks, employees visited nearby traditional markets and used Onnuri gift certificates worth a total of 100 million won to buy daily goods, hygiene products and stationery needed by children and seniors, and donated them to vulnerable groups.

By affiliate, Shinhan Financial Group and Shinhan Bank held the campaign at Namdaemun Market, Shinhan Investment Corp and Shinhan Asset Management and others at Yeongdeungpo Market, and Shinhan Card and Shinhan Life Insurance and others at Gwangjang Market. This year, it ran a participatory programme encouraging employees to visit various shops in the markets, expanding touchpoints with traditional market merchants.

Hana Financial Group on Sept. 19 held a volunteer activity called "Making Songpyeon of Love" with participation by group employees and their families. About 100 members of the Hana Love Volunteer Group joined the event at the group's Myeongdong building in Seoul, making three-colour songpyeon using traditional ingredients such as mugwort and gardenia and preparing "Hangawi Happiness Boxes" containing traditional hangwa sweets and daily necessities.

A total of about 700 boxes, including 100 boxes filled with songpyeon made by employees, are set to be delivered to seniors nationwide. Twenty-five employees of group affiliate Hana Life Insurance on Sept. 18 also visited the Incheon Yeonhui Senior Culture Center to join in making songpyeon and assembling the happiness boxes.

Woori Financial Group is supporting 7,000 low-income grandparent-headed households nationwide with "Woori Financial Happiness Bundles". At a volunteer activity held on Sept. 1 at Woori Bank headquarters in Hoehyeon-dong, Seoul, employees including Woori Financial Group Chairman Lim Jong-ryong (임종룡) packaged items to be delivered to grandparent-headed households.

The happiness bundle consists of 14 items including hygiene products, nutritional supplements, convenient health foods and holiday snacks. Woori Financial plans to deliver the items sequentially to grandparent-headed households nationwide by before Chuseok.

Woori Bank has also moved to support daily necessities for seniors living alone. In cooperation with the Korea Foundation for Supporting the Vulnerable Elderly, it will deliver a daily necessities kit called "Woori Ddeundeunham" to 9,722 households of seniors living alone nationwide each year. The first recipients ahead of Chuseok are 810 households.

The kit includes seven daily necessities items including a first-aid bag, anti-slip mat, walking stick and blanket. All items were sourced as products made at vocational rehabilitation facilities for people with disabilities. Care workers will visit homes in person to deliver the items and check on the seniors.

◆ Financial sector sharing spreads to local communities and vulnerable groups

NH Nonghyup Bank is also continuing sharing activities for local residents and vulnerable groups. Employees of the bank's digital division visited the Mapo Comprehensive Social Welfare Center in Seoul on Sept. 18, made songpyeon with local seniors and carried out volunteer work such as serving lunch and washing dishes. They also delivered 1,000 kg of rice for residents using the welfare center.

Toss Bank, an internet-only bank, will support 200 multicultural families with "Hangawi Support Kits" worth a total of 30 million won for Chuseok. The support, prepared together with the Wooyang Foundation, was 추진됐다 to help the dietary lives of children in multicultural families who have difficulty having meals on time due to guardians' night work or health difficulties, and to ease the burden of holiday food.

Each support kit worth 150,000 won contains food items such as granola, nuts and beverages. It also bought products made by Bravo Beaver, a standard workplace for people with developmental disabilities, linking support for multicultural families with job creation for people with developmental disabilities.

iM Bank on Sept. 22 held a "Hangawi Songpyeon Sharing" event for vulnerable groups in the local community with the Daegu Metropolitan Government and the Daegu branch of the Korean Red Cross. About 100 people including iM Bank employees, university student ambassadors and Red Cross volunteers took part, making and packaging songpyeon.

iM Bank delivered event sponsorship of 10 million won, and 930 kg of songpyeon prepared that day is set to be delivered at 1 kg each to 930 vulnerable households in Daegu.

Sh Suhyup Bank has moved to support food for blood cancer patients and their families facing economic difficulties ahead of the holiday. On Sept. 10 it visited the Korea Blood Cancer Association in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo district and donated 250 bags of 10 kg rice.

The sponsorship was arranged so patients and families facing an economic burden from long-term treatment and caregiving can share a warm meal for the holiday. Suhyup Bank took part in the association's "Love Rice Sharing Event" again this year after last year.

A financial industry official said, "I hope a warm heart will reach neighbours in need for Chuseok," adding, "The financial sector will continue social contribution activities that provide practical help in daily life."