Shin Dong-bin views artwork at 'Frieze Seoul'... Business leaders visit in succession

[Financial News] Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin visited 'Frieze Seoul 2026,' which opened on the 2nd at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and viewed the artworks. Business leaders, including Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin and Amorepacific Group Chairman Suh Kyung-bae, also visited. KB Financial Group Chairman Yang Jong-hee attended the opening ceremony of 'Kiaf SEOUL (Korea International Art Fair) 2026,' held on the same day.
Chairman Shin visited the Frieze Seoul exhibition hall separately around 4 p.m. that day. He toured various booths with his entourage, listening to explanations from exhibition officials, and lingered for a while in front of Philippe Parreno's 'Iceman in Reality Park' at the Gladstone Gallery.
Chairman Shin also visited Frieze Seoul last year. Lotte launched the LOTTE Foundation for Arts in 2015 to support classical music performances and music businesses. Chairman Shin contributed 10 billion won, half of the 20 billion won endowment, from his personal funds. In 2018, Lotte Museum of Art opened, and the foundation continues to support contemporary art exhibitions and emerging artists.
Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin, Shinsegae Chairman Chung Yoo-kyung, Amorepacific Group Chairman Suh Kyung-bae, Crown Haitai Chairman Yoon Young-dal and Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae attended the Frieze Seoul Gala Dinner held at the Starfield COEX Mall Byeolmadang Library that evening. Chairman Chung Yoo-kyung was accompanied by her husband, Moon Sung-wook, CEO of Shinsegae Live Shopping. This marked the first time in three years that siblings Chung Yong-jin and Chung Yoo-kyung had attended a Frieze event together, since the 'Shinsegae × Frieze VIP Party' in 2023.
Shinsegae Group is participating as the headline partner of Frieze Seoul from this year through 2030. It is the first domestic retail company to do so. At the 'Shinsegae Lounge' set up at the event venue, 336 works from French artist Paul Cox's 'Diary' series were showcased together.
KB Financial Group Inc. has served as KIAF's lead partner for three consecutive years. KB Financial organized the special exhibition 'Accumulation of Stars' by artist Kim Taek Sang and 'KB Atelier,' which introduces emerging artists.
Shinsegae and KB Financial Group Inc. did not stop at simple sponsorship, directly operating dedicated spaces and cultural programs. Art fairs, where domestic and international collectors and high-net-worth individuals gather, are being used as cultural marketing platforms to expand companies' key customer touchpoints.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Kim Sung-hee, and President of the Seoul Arts Center Chang Han-na were present at the joint opening ceremony of KIAF and Frieze Seoul that day. Figures from the cultural and artistic world, including actors Bae Jong-ok, Chae Shi-ra, Han So-hee and Jung Il-woo, models Shiho Yano and Lee Hyun-yi, and V8 of the group Seventeen, also visited the exhibition hall.
Kiaf SEOUL (Korea International Art Fair), featuring 175 galleries from 18 countries, runs through the 6th, while Frieze Seoul, featuring more than 130 galleries from 30 countries and regions, runs through the 5th at COEX.
[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter