TAP was invited to attend the 2018 Korea Blockchain Expo (http://koreablockchainexpo.com) from October 23rd to 24th. Due to an overwhelming turnout, the 80–120 person capacity meeting room eventually housed more than 150 participants including investors, media partners, professionals, developers, and special guests.

The event was designed to strengthen bonds within the blockchain community and create an environment for collaboration and innovation. We hope that by sharing our thoughts and goals with the community, we can work together to continuously improve our products, attract additional supporters, and help billions of people transact using digital currencies.

Below are some photos of the TAP team at the event:

About the 2018 Korea Blockchain Expo

The event was hosted by Hankyung.com, the digital platform for the Korea Economic Daily, as well as Deloitte, Hashed, GBIC, and Asobimo.

The Korea Blockchain Expo was the first event of its kind and featured guest speakers such as Wonki Min, the Korean Vice Minister of Science and ICT and the Chairman of the OECD committee on digital economic policy. He participated in a panel discussion on the direction of governmental blockchain policies. Hye Hoon Lee, Chairwoman Nominee for The National Assembly Special Committee on the 4th Industrial Revolution, also gave a talk on the legislative efforts to bring forward the fourth industrial revolution led by blockchain technology. Tae Hee Woo, Head of the Korean Blockchain Association Industry Development Committee and Former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, spoke on future projections for the development of the Korean blockchain industry.

The 2018 Korea Blockchain Expo speakers Hye Hoon Lee, Wonki Min, Paul Sin, Wooyong Shin, Bernd Lapp, Taehee Woo, David Lee, and Francois Piccione (clockwise from top left).

Hashed CEO Simon Seojoon Kim was also featured, speaking on the “Opportunities and Obstacles for Korea as a Global Blockchain Hub”. Kim warned that any delay in legislation for the development of the blockchain industry will be detrimental in the future. He also highlighted the various strengths Korea has as a blockchain frontier, including a “blockchain-friendly” government and regional NGOs, corporations and startups, and a generation that is largely familiar and cognizant of cryptocurrency.

Legendary Silicon Valley investor David Lee of Refactor Capital, Asobimo CEO Katsunori Kondo, and former Ethereum advisor Bernd Lapp were also in attendance. GBIC partner Sinhae Lee presented on “Trends in Key Blockchain Markets” with a focus on cases in Korea, the US, and China.

The expo featured a separate session for large domestic corporations such as SK Telecom, LG CNS, and Samsung SDS where Wooyong Shin fills the role of Vice President and Blockchain Business Team Leader. The session aimed to showcase the efforts of leading global corporations in Korea to open new blockchain businesses and transition organically through business matching.

Government officials and NGOs, as well as global players in the blockchain industry, came together to discuss the development of Korea as the new blockchain frontier.