Asiastar Entertainment and Codus to Develop Casual P2E Game with NFT Rewards

KISA to establish blockchain trust framework for public servicesThe Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) is developing a system called the Korea-Blockchain Trust Framework (K-BTF) to facilitate the development and operation of blockchain-based public services, said Lee Kang-hyo, a senior official at KISA, during the 2023 Blockchain Grand Week on Wednesday (local time).Blockchain Grand Week is an event hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and jointly organized by the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA), the Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA) and the Institute of Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP) to promote the value of blockchain technology in enhancing trust in the digital age.Photo by Philipp Katzenberger on UnsplashPrevious roadblocksKISA has executed over 100 blockchain pilot projects over the last five years, but only a few have been carried out due to significant costs and interoperability barriers between services. According to the agency, it costs KRW 450 million (approximately $348,000) to carry out one project. Therefore, it has shifted its focus to making development easier and supporting data interoperability between services.“Developing blockchain-based public services entails building a blockchain platform, developing services and connecting them with government legacy systems,” Lee explained. “Blockchain developer APIs are becoming standardized overseas, and we thought it was time for us to leverage such advantages as well.”Another challenge was that previous blockchain-based public or governmental services did not offer smooth user experiences (UX), often requiring the installation of separate wallets or applications with each use.Bringing cost-efficient, user-friendly public blockchain servicesTo address these issues, KISA decided to focus on three key areas for building K-BTF — cost reduction, convenient development and usability — with an overall groundwork that covers interfaces, services and security while minimizing intrusion into the private sector.Once the K-BTF is established, government agencies will be able to easily plan and operate blockchain-assisted services such as decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The costs for development will be determined based on how much a given service is used instead of the original base cost of KRW 450 million.Also, public institutions tend to go through staffing changes quite often, and building services under K-BTF will enable governmental operations to run normally without any roadblocks or inconveniences caused by such changes.Lee went on to mention that although a wide array of services can be built on the framework, there will be basic requirements in terms of functionality, performance and security that must be fulfilled for a service to run on it. To verify this, the KISA established a testing and certification system that utilizes its Cloud Security Assurance Program (CSAP) certification system and the Information Security Management System (ISMS).To improve usability, the framework will require users to install only one digital wallet that stores digital forms of identification and various authentication certificates.The KISA is set to start working on the K-BTF next year. Notably, it plans to create a governance system consisting of government agencies — those that are the demand clients for the framework –, private corporations and related experts. Six core services that will employ K-BTF have already been selected after a review of 34 pilot projects proposed in 2021 and 2022 and major national blockchain projects from six overseas countries. These six services are NFTs, DIDs, data origin authentication, data history tracking, Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) and digital wallets.Lee emphasized that the goal of the K-BTF is to derive services that can be used by the public sector within regulatory and technological boundaries.

Korean Firms Team Up to Boost Biofuel Use Through Blockchain TechSouth Korean tech service provider SK C&C announced on Thursday that it inked an agreement with Recycle Ledger, a company that operates a service for tracking transactions related to recycling resources. Through this collaboration, the two firms aim to employ ChainZ, SK C&C’s blockchain application programming interface (API) platform, to track the journey of waste cooking oil.Photo by Sigmund on UnsplashBroadening ESG operationsThis deal allows SK C&C to broaden its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) operations into the waste management sector through blockchain tech, strengthening its position as a prominent provider of ESG solutions and a leader in Korea’s net-zero digital intelligent transport systems (ITS).Prior to this initiative, SK C&C launched Click ESG, a comprehensive ESG management platform, and Centero, a carbon credit trading platform, enhancing its ESG offerings.Recycle Ledger operates an ESG platform built on blockchain technology, enabling easier tracking of waste and recycling resources while promoting transparent information sharing. The firm is currently developing a tracking management system for waste cooking oil, specifically tailored for aviation biofuels, a rapidly emerging market sector.Global trendThe US, the EU, and other developed nations are implementing regulations that require sustainability certification for biomaterials and enhancing systems to monitor and manage the collection process of waste cooking oil. This oil can serve as an ingredient for biofuels.This stricter regulatory landscape emerged partly in response to instances of greenwashing, where conventional biofuels are falsely presented as being derived from used cooking oil. Such deceptive practices became prevalent due to the escalating prices of biofuels.Since the adoption of the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) resolution known as Fly Net Zero in October 2021, which commits airlines to achieve net zero carbon by 2050, many developments have taken place. The EU has imposed a requirement for suppliers to blend at least 2% of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) into kerosene starting from 2025, planning to boost this to 63% by 2050. The US, meanwhile, aims for 100% SAF use in its aviation fuel demand by 2050.Waste cooking oil trackerIn light of these developments, Recycle Ledger plans to introduce a blockchain-based service that comprehensively tracks and manages the complete life cycle of waste cooking oil, from restaurants to biofuel producers. By utilizing blockchain technology, the company aims to help waste cooking oil exporters obtain sustainability certifications for biomaterials.Recycle Ledger is collaborating with fintech solution provider Woori FIS and electronic payment firm Payup to develop a system that addresses the inconvenience of cash transactions for recyclable resources. Recycle Ledger is also exploring the implementation of a carbon point system for waste cooking oil emissions.Blockchain-based data flow trackingMeanwhile, SK C&C will provide its blockchain mainnet ChainZ as an API to help Recycle Ledger provide its services swiftly and securely.SK C&C’s data tracing API is designed to document information across all data management stages, including data creation, provision, receipt, analysis, and deletion, offering an environment to track data flow.Recycle Ledger CEO Kim Ki-jong said that its platform could enhance the value of recyclable resources and prevent greenwashing by storing transaction data on the blockchain.Choi Chul, the head of the Web3 tech group at SK C&C, touted ChainZ’s benefits, including data security, transparency, and integrity. He highlighted the need for data traceability and transparency within the ESG sector given the multiple stakeholders involved, and affirmed ChainZ’s readiness to satisfy the demand for new ESG services.

Oasys and XPLA to Host Hackathon Promoting Blockchain InteroperabilityOasys, a Japanese blockchain gaming platform, has teamed up with XPLA, a blockchain project led by Com2uS, a major Korean gaming company, to hold a hackathon focused on blockchain interoperability. The event, named “Beyond Boundaries,” aims to foster innovative ideas that enhance the seamless connection between different blockchain networks.Photo by Fotis Fotopoulos on UnsplashGlobal participation and prizesAs the importance of interoperability between blockchain networks is growing, Oasys and XPLA have joined hands to host this hackathon. Participants from around the world are invited to compete for a total prize pool of $60,000, with both Oasys and XPLA contributing $30,000 each to reward outstanding solutions.Three areas of blockchain interoperabilityThe event will encourage programmers to address three key aspects of blockchain interoperability. Participants can submit proposals for connecting layer 1 nodes through cross-chain protocols, creating plugin programs to bring games and NFTs to the blockchain, and introducing novel ideas to improve the user experience during the KYC verification process.The hackathon will begin on August 18, with the kickoff event and submissions opening on the same day. Participants will have until August 27 to submit their proposals. The finalist announcement is set for August 29, leading up to the highly anticipated Demo Day on September 3, which will take place at Dreamplus Gangnam, a co-working space for startups, in Seoul.The judging criteria for the competition will focus on the compatibility of the proposed solutions with blockchain technology, creativity, business feasibility, and the progress made in development.Last year, Com2uS became an Oasys validator and has revealed plans to deploy their flagship title, “Summoners War: Chronicles,” as a blockchain game on the Oasys platform.Com2uS has been demonstrating its commitment to the blockchain gaming sector. Recently, the Korean game developer’s venture capital arm, CRIT Ventures, made an investment in blockchain game developer Puzzle Monsters, which gained popularity through AFK MMORPG Idle Ninja Online and action role-playing survival game Ninja Survivors Online.