I just saw interesting news from the Bank of Korea. They are aggressively recruiting new talent, specifically 10 employees with at least 5 years of experience in the crypto industry. This is no coincidence—they are serious about their digital won project.

Previously, the Han River project was halted due to less-than-positive user feedback, but now they are launching a new version with a different focus. This time, the target is more practical: applications for government and businesses, not directly for consumers. The plan is quite ambitious—they want to provide 25% government subsidies in the form of digital won before 2030.

The most interesting part? They have already started pilot payments in Q2 of this year. So it’s not just a concept, but already in the execution phase. Their digital currency planning team also clarified that stablecoins and CBDCs are not competitors, but complementary. Smart move for positioning.

All of this aligns with the new legislation that will be issued—basically lifting the ban on domestic crypto and stablecoin issuance. South Korea is indeed starting to open up in this direction. This is evident from their recruitment specifically seeking crypto expertise, signaling they are serious about moving forward with the CBDC and digital asset agenda.

It will be interesting to see how Q4 developments unfold. If this momentum continues, South Korea could become one of the most advanced countries in CBDC implementation.