South Korea’s Internet agency announces 12 blockchain pilot projects for 2019

The Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA) has announced the 12 projects selected for '2019 Blockchain Public Pilot Project' that will aim to innovate public services and discover best practices by applying the blockchain technology.

KISA and the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) has expanded the scale of support for the blockchain public pilot projects from 6 projects (KRW 4 billion) in 2018 to 12 projects (KRW 8.5 billion) in 2019.

According to the official announcement:

“A total of 32 companies will be selected to conduct the 12 projects of the pilot project in 2019.”

These blockchain projects will focus on areas such as disaster prevention and response service, defense, medical and healthcare, part-time worker rights protection, food safety management certification service platform, carbon credits history management system, and renewable energy certificate (REC) service, among others.

Participating organizations include LG CNS, Coinplug, Hancom Secure, KT and many others. LG CNS will build blockchain-based electric vehicle waste battery distribution history management system, and KT will develop blockchain based e-mail mailbox.

"Blockchain technology is now in full swing," a KISA official said. "By implementing the blockchain pilot project, we have complemented the limitations of existing ICT technology and applied various convergence technologies to areas close to real-[life situations]. We will continue to strive to improve the quality of life of our people. "

Last month, the MIC published a recruitment notice for a Blockchain National Participation Evaluation Team. It is part of the government’s efforts to share the process of public-private blockchain pilot project development with the public.

[The article has been written using an online translation of KISA’s press release]