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Interest rates across the world were already low before COVID-19.
The pandemic prompted central banks to lower them even further.
As a result, many investors turned to the stock market, hoping to find a bargain among the depressed share prices - and many of those are young, first-timers.
Kim Do-yeon reports.
According to statistics from the Korea Financial Investment Association, as of Mid-August, the number of active stock trading accounts neared 33 million, an increase of around 10 percent since the beginning of this year.
This comes as COVID-19 pushed down the already low interest rates... which made returns from regular savings accounts dry up. The pandemic also caused stock prices to fall, and many individuals saw this as an opportunity.
And the average age of the investors has also fallen.
"Recently, looking at the new clients of some securities companies, 55 to 56 percent of them are in their 20s or 30s. According to our survey, buying a house and getting ready for retirement were the main motivations behind their investment."
He added, the ease of trading on smartphones also caused more young people to start investing in stocks.
Another trend can be observed from the shift in age groups.
One Youtuber who creates stock-related content says she gained nearly 10,000 subscribers in the three months since February... after stock prices fell due to COVID-19.
She also says there was another notable group on the rise.
"When I first started, there were nine men to one woman. But now the ratio is around seven to three. Women, who used to also be a minority in the culture are now taking interest."
Amid the growing interest, she says some new investors can be reckless as they put in more than they can afford... looking for a quick return.
"The experts said a culture of investing is a good thing, but when individuals go into debt to buy stocks, they're putting themselves in serious financial danger, because the market could leave them high and dry when it's time to pay the money back."
Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News