A consortium of major South Korean firms partnered to launch a blockchain-based mobile identification system in 2020, English-language local media Korea Times reports on July 14. Per the report, the participants are financial services firms KEB Hana Bank, Woori Bank, KOSCOM, mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT, LG UPlus and technology behemoth Samsung Electronics. The aim of the partnership is reportedly to develop a self-sovereign identity system that does not require any intermediaries, which would enable individuals and organizations to control their identity information in online transactions. The service aims to allow users to store personal information such as resident registration …

LG CNS, a subsidiary of South Korean multinational conglomerate LG Corp., will apply blockchain to foster supply chain transparency for school cafeteria lunches. The news was reported by business technology site ZDNet on July 9. The new system — created in collaboration with local IT service provider SayIT — will be based on LG’s proprietary blockchain platform, “Monachain,” which first launched in May 2018. In cooperation with regional governments, the system will be implemented for foods served at national school cafeterias and will provide transparent information and supply chain history for the agricultural products used. The data will include information …

South Korea’s Gram Asia is selling rights to its Gram holdings at $4.00 per token starting July 10, according to a report by Bloomberg on July 3. The proposed sale price is triple the original $1.33 sale price at Gram’s second initial coin offering (ICO) round in March 2018. The sale on July 10 is apparently happening exclusively through Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid, as per its website. Liquid also hosted the Gram ICO in March, at which time Telegram raised $850 million, bringing its total valuation up to $1.7 billion. Citing an email from the exchange, Bloomberg reports that users …

Samsung SDS, Dutch bank ABN AMRO and the Port of Rotterdam have jointly conducted a proof-of-concept (PoC) shipment from South Korea to the Netherlands in which they tracked a container exclusively using an interoperable blockchain platform, according to a report by The Maritime Executive on July 1. According to the announcement, the container was tracked via the blockchain platform “DELIVER,” which allowed for the shipment to be instantly financed, fully tracked, and conducted paperlessly. According to Port of Rotterdam CFO Paul Smits, the traditional process of shipping is usually paper-heavy and inefficient: “Currently payments, administration and the physical transportation of …

South Korea's largest telecom and the third top conglomerate SK Group has invested $10 million in major global blockchain firm ConsenSys, according to a report by local news agency Chosun on July 2. Worth noting is the increased involvement of major South Korean companies into crypto industry, including Samsung, internet giant Kakao, Hyundai, among others. In the report, Chey Tae-won, chairman at SK Corporation and South Korean billionaire entrepreneur, has expressed interest in blockchain and token economy. Speaking at a tech startup event in Seoul, Chey argued that traditional business approaches “should be digitized.” The SK chairman also pointed out …

Busan, South Korea's second most-populous city after Seoul, is considering the launch of a local cryptocurrency, Korean tech news publication ETnews reports July 1. According to the report, Busan city authorities are seeking to develop a blockchain-based digital currency project in collaboration with BNK Busan Bank, a subsidiary of local holding company BNK Financial Group. Specifically, Busan is reportedly developing a crypto project in the form of stablecoin, a cryptocurrency pegged 1:1 to the local currency in the BNK Busan bank account. By issuing a local digital currency, Busan expects to revive the local economy, as well as to secure …

One of South Korea’s biggest banks is planning to intensify regulations on accounts linked to crypto exchanges, BEI News reported on July 1. The “special measures” Shinhan Bank are proposing would reportedly involve dedicating staff to analyzing account transactions. It is believed the bank is hoping to distance itself from claims that it is helping financial criminals, amid a rise in the number of fraud cases involving exchanges. Later in July, the bank is also hoping to launch an artificial intelligence monitoring system that uses deep learning to identify fraudulent transactions more quickly and accurately. BEI News quoted a Shinhan …

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is developing a blockchain platform for banking in its R&D branch, according to a report by BusinessLine on June 28 The blockchain platform will reportedly host a number of blockchain applications, and is slated to launch next year. This model platform is reportedly being designed to serve banks; according to the director of The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology, RBI’s R&D branch, the platform is “for blockchain applications for the government in banking.” While RBI appears to be moving into the blockchain industry, it has historically not been keen on cryptocurrencies. …

Ground X, the blockchain arm of South Korean tech giant Kakao, has launched the mainnet of its Klaytn platform, The Korea Herald reported on June 27. It is hoped that the platform, which focuses on decentralized apps (DApps,) will drive blockchain adoption in the country. Several major companies in the region are using the technology from launch, including LG. Han Jae-sun, Ground X’s chief executive, said the firms using Klaytn have a combined market value of $64.8 billion. Nine DApps are currently available on the platform, including a program that rewards diners for leaving restaurant reviews and another that incentivizes …

Canadian tech firm Graph Blockchain Inc. has partnered with the Ministry of Transportation in Seoul, South Korea, to run a pilot program for blockchain-based traffic data storage, according to a news release on June 24. Graph Blockchain reportedly signed a contract for around $55,000 CAD, or approximately $41,695 at press time, to run this pilot program as part of the “Smart City initiative.” According to the CEO of Graph Blockchain, Jeff Stevens, the company intends to use its blockchain solution to “streamline and protect” traffic data. Graph Blockchain purportedly uses the open source Hyperledger Fabric framework to develop its blockchain …

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb has been prosecuted for its alleged failure to take adequate measures to protect personal information, which was later presumably exploited by hackers to steal funds from the platform. The news was reported by Cointelegraph Japan on June 19. Prosecutors allege the data breach led directly to the second hack affecting the platform, in which almost $7 million in user funds was stolen. As Cointelegraph has previously reported, Bithumb first notified authorities of a major data breach in late June 2017, thought to have affected around 31,000 exchange user accounts. The data leak is believed to …

The IT subsidiary of South Korean tech giant Samsung is launching three new products aimed at addressing clients worries about blockchain, the company confirmed in a press release on June 18. Following what it describes as trouble implementing the technology, Samsung SDS said its new offerings will address core areas of concern among its client base. “When companies apply blockchain technology to their business, they have concerns on Converging services across various industries, connecting different blockchain technologies [...] easy application and expansion of blockchain in timely manner,” the release states. It adds: “Samsung SDS proposes ‘3C’ solutions to solve such …