The fourth quarter of 2023 proved to be a busy time for evangelists of the New Internet, with speaking engagements taking place around Asia and Europe at various events, including a significant stop in South Korea.
The Global Blockchain Incheon Conference (GBIC) 2023 took place in Incheon from October 30-31, followed by the Digital Media Tech Show (DMTS) in Korea Goyang Special City November 2-4, both focusing on digital transformation and future technology. Between the two conferences, a BSV Blockchain Meetup was organized in Seoul to introduce Koreans to the unique characteristics of the BSV blockchain.
“GBIC 2023 is consistent with the purpose of Incheon City, which aims to become a revolutionary city in the future and blockchain technology by recruiting famous overseas figures for the purpose of global events,” shared Arron Kim, President of the IPv6 South Korea Council.
“The venue where DMTS was held, Kntex, is Korea’s largest exhibition hall, where Goyang City, global companies, and Korean conglomerates combined everything from electronics, electricity, and technology of the future,” he added.
Kim was also responsible for recruiting Latif Ladid, Global IPv6 Forum Chair, and James Belding, Tokenized Co-Founder and CEO, to speak at both events.
“The GBIC and DMTS conferences were extremely very well organized in brand new buildings of highest standing. Both were full house with well selected speakers of industry CEOs and top government and academic representatives,” Ladid shared.
“The focus of my speech in both events was to modernize the Internet infrastructure with [the] adoption of v6 to catch up the lost time compared to its neighboring countries to deploy a proper blockchain infrastructure. The feedback was very positive, and speakers and press came to understand the reasons for this lack of v6 adoption,” he added.
According to Kim, Ladid’s speeches were cheered by a large audience, and Belding’s Tokenized presentations received many positive responses from Korean financial officials, especially in solving the technical limitations of Korea’s central bank digital currency (CBDC).
“I presented our vision for Tokenized and focused on what a smart contracting future can look like for all types of financial instruments. I also emphasized the unique benefits of Bitcoin SV in comparison to other networks, particularly scale, pricing, and capabilities,” Belding told CoinGeek.
“The main network most of the Korean companies are using at the moment is Ethereum, and it seemed like many were fed up with it as a solution and have given it enough time to realize it isn’t going to improve, so they have been starting to look for other solutions,” he said.
Brian Lee, Assistant Manager & Strategic Planning for IPXHOP, the organizer of GBIC and DMTS, had nothing but positive things to say about Ladid and Belding’s contribution to the events.
“Unlike other speakers, Latif and James Belding’s turn attracted the attention of many people. Latif and James Belding were so influential that they had a strong relationship with the mayor of the region that co-hosted the event,” Lee shared.
Ladid and Belding were also speakers at the October BSV Korea Meetup, South Korea’s second BSV Meetup in 2023.
“Seoul has a very strong BSV community that came to the meetup; some 30 showed up late [in the] evening. Indeed, Johnny and Arron have done a great job in winning a great audience [who are] very enthusiastic about BSV for the enterprise, government, and supply chains,” Ladid recounted.
“I think we should expect South Korea to [be] a big home for BSV, and we need to give them support to continue their evangelism of IPv6 and blockchain,” he added.
Belding said his main goal at the meetup was to connect with BSVers in Korea and share what the Tokenized team has been working on.
“It was a warm crowd, and people seemed very passionate about BSV. I think Tokenized wasn’t generally on their radar, and I was able to do a demo/presentation. It seemed to be well received for the most part. Lots of photos at the end, too!” he said.
Lise Li, Head of Blockchain China Hub for BSV Blockchain Association, also attended and delivered a presentation on BSV and the Association.
“Thanks to two BSV advocates in South Korea, Johnny Lim and Arron Kim, who have great connection to the tech companies in Seoul. BSV Association appreciated their contribution for expansion BSV awareness in South Korea and would love to see BSV adoption by these companies in the near future,” she said.
As pointed out by Kim, many people are mistaken about the history of Bitcoin and the original Bitcoin because no one has provided accurate information about it. Therefore, Kim decided to take action by inviting speakers such as Ladid and Belding to attend conferences and BSV Meetups in the region.
“As you know, Korea is one of the places where many people are interested in blockchain. The problem is the level of understanding [of] the wrong current market. However, I expect to understand BSV the fastest in Korea, which is a culture that quickly adapts to and accepts new things,” Kim said.
“Regarding IPv6, Korea has already established communication device updates and infrastructure six years ago by government-affiliated organizations and Internet telecommunication operators. However, they do not know the convergence of IPv6 and blockchain yet. So, Latif’s visit to Korea was a good opportunity,” he added.
Ladid confirmed the establishment of the IPv6 Council for South Korea in 2023 with Kim as its president, allowing a double strategy to promote IPv6 and blockchain in the region.
“The Korean government and Koreans who adapt quickly to changes in technology and their infinite potential for development have been seen. So, our BSV Korea team is preparing for a blockchain expert course this time with the aim of spreading BSV technology to empirically commercialize it used by many companies and people,” Kim revealed.
It’s essential to build a program directed at South Koreans specifically, as Belding noted, it does not seem like a lot of the English blockchain news, information, and articles make their way over to the blockchain enthusiasts in the country.
“It felt like the country, and its leaders, are very forward-thinking and the country is advanced technologically speaking. A really strong engineering culture and a deep interest in blockchain,” he said.
“It’s a country with lovely people, and that has a lot of potential for BSV and hopefully Tokenized,” Belding added.
For a deeper dive into the New Internet and digital transformation, join us for the next CoinGeek Roundtable on February 15th with Ladid and additional experts in IPv6, Blockchain, and future tech.
Watch: Transitioning to IPv6 and blockchain tech will power the Internet of Things
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