Korea Blockchain Week 2025: A Kintsugi Report

From September 22 to 28, Seoul became the beating heart of the global crypto scene, hosting Korea Blockchain Week 2025 (KBW2025). With more than 28,000 attendees, the event has firmly established itself not only as Asia’s premier Web3 conference, but also as a key gathering point for the international blockchain community by bringing together companies, developers, investors, and thought leaders to explore the ideas and challenges that will define the future of the industry.

Kintsugi’s Role at KBW

As a partner of the Korea Web3 Embassy, Kintsugi Technologies played an active role throughout the week: joining major side events, moderating high-level panels, and hosting the latest edition of the Blockchain Infrastructure Forum (BIF). Our presence reflected a clear mission: to stimulate meaningful dialogue and support innovation in a space that’s evolving at incredible speed.

Why Korea Blockchain Week

With so many blockchain conferences around the globe, our choice to attend KBW was intentional. South Korea is one of the most advanced and dynamic crypto markets in the world, and over 30% of the population has owned crypto at some point, highlighting a uniquely high adoption rate.
But it’s more than just numbers. The country is home to a growing developer ecosystem, where Web3 innovation happens daily. That energy was palpable throughout the week: from the packed panels to the buzzing networking spaces.
The lineup of speakers, including global figures like Arthur Hayes, Donald Trump Jr., and many others, brought fresh perspectives and a global lens to every conversation.

The Blockchain Infrastructure Forum (BIF)

During Korean Blockchain Week 2025, we had the privilege of co-organizing the 3rd edition of the Blockchain Infrastructure Forum (BIF): Regulatory Roundtable, together with Angelina Kwan of Stratford Finance.
This closed-door gathering brought together regulators from across APAC and the European Commission, fostering meaningful dialogue on institutional adoption and regulatory cooperation in the Web3 space.
A dedicated article with full insights and key takeaways from the roundtable will be released soon.

The Main Conference

September 23rd and 24th, then, were the core of the week. Over two days, industry leaders, companies, and key opinion leaders shared insights across a series of thought-provoking speeches and panel discussions, and as Kintsugi Technologies we are proud to have been an active part of these activities.
Our Co-Founder and CEO Daniel Hwang, also moderated two panel discussions.
The first, titled “Understanding the Korean Crypto Community”, featured Jason Ye, CEO and Co-Founder of DeSpread, Youbin Kang, Founder and CEO of Nonce Classic, and Robbie Oh of Altos Ventures. The discussion highlighted South Korea’s unique position within the global crypto landscape. With more than a third of the population engaged in digital assets, and with exchanges such as UpBit achieving remarkable trading volumes despite regulatory limitations (such as the one on automated market maker integration), South Korea has cemented itself as a hub of activity and influence.

The second panel, Why L2s Are Winning Again, included Roberto José Catalán (RJ), Co-Founder and CEO of Aligned, Tom Ngo, CEO of Metis, and Yaoqi Jia, Founder of AltLayer. The conversation emphasized the growing importance of Layer 2 solutions, which deliver greater scalability and cost-efficiency than Layer 1 alternatives. Panelists discussed not only the lower transaction fees but also the performance improvements that make L2s especially attractive for sectors such as gaming, where high frame rates and seamless user experiences are critical. The session also explored the technical dimensions of L2 architectures, including Optimistic Rollups, ZK-Rollups, and hybrid ZK-Optimistic models.

Visiting AhnLab Data Center

On September 25th, we also organized a visit to AhnLab, one of South Korea’s leading providers of cybersecurity and data management solutions, and a key partner of the Korea Web3 Embassy consortium. Together with AhnLab Blockchain Company and Factblock, Kintsugi Technologies co-founded this consortium to bridge the gap between traditional and blockchain industries, leveraging their combined expertise.
AhnLab Blockchain Company, a subsidiary of AhnLab, focuses on researching and developing blockchain security technologies to protect digital assets and intellectual property in the Web3 ecosystem. Their mission is to ensure that users of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy a safe and seamless Web3 experience. Additionally, the company develops and supports infrastructure that enables organizations to adopt blockchain wallets and expand their presence in the Web3 space.
On that day, together with selected partners, our team toured AhnLab’s headquarters to gain firsthand insight into how sensitive data is safeguarded and managed. This visit reinforced the importance of robust infrastructure and security practices in supporting blockchain innovation and building trust with users worldwide.

Conclusion

As the Korea Blockchain Week comes to an end, what truly lingers is the vibrant energy and passion that each participant contributed to innovate and improve the crypto landscape.
At Kintsugi Technologies, together with our embassies, our mission is to make blockchain accessible to everyone by promoting education for individuals and companies alike, encouraging a conscious and responsible use of this technology.
Indeed, technological innovation in certain parts of the world is still hindered by regulatory frameworks that are not always friendly toward blockchain. Providing an opportunity for regulatory entities from around the globe to meet, exchange ideas, and engage in constructive discussions about fair and positive regulation of the industry makes us proud and reinforces our belief that a balanced and forward-looking legislative framework is truly possible.