A significant academic conference presenting strategic directions for establishing a digital asset financial special zone in the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province and exploring the potential for regional development through blockchain technology was held on May 23, 2024, at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU).

Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) (President Yang O-bong), together with the Korean Blockchain Society (President Yongbeom Park, Professor, Department of Software, Dankook University), held the '2024 Korean Blockchain Society Spring Conference' and the 'Digital Asset Workshop for Establishing the Jeonbuk Digital Asset Financial Special Zone' on May 23, 2024, at the New Silk Road Center Donghaeng Hall, JBNU.

The conference, sponsored by Jeonbuk Bank, Banko Co., Ltd., and FA GLOBAL, centered on the theme 'Establishing the Jeonbuk Digital Asset Financial Special Zone.'

Attendees included JBNU President Yang O-bong, faculty, students, officials from the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, representatives from Jeonbuk Bank, Banko Co., Ltd., Jeonju City Hall, the Jeonju Information & Culture Industry Promotion Agency, and other industry and academic figures. They engaged in in-depth discussions on strategies to promote a tertiary financial hub centered on digital assets to drive new growth in the Jeonbuk region.

In the first keynote, Shengnan Li, Senior Researcher at the University of Zurich Blockchain Center, presented Swiss case studies in the digital asset sector under the theme 'Past, Current and Future of Crypto Valley in Zug, Switzerland,' and outlined considerations for the development of the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province.

The second keynote was delivered by Ari Juels, Professor at Cornell University, on 'Smart Contract Security and AI + Blockchains.' He introduced research on blockchain, AI, and security, and discussed how integrating blockchain and AI technologies could serve as a future growth engine for Jeonbuk.

In particular, Sun-tae Kim, Director of the JBNU Blockchain Application Research Institute and Professor in the Department of Software Engineering, introduced the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province's 'Digital Asset Financial Special Zone Promotion Strategy' and led a discussion on establishing a digital asset financial special zone for regional development. Dae-gu Kang, Chairman of Banko Co., Ltd., which operates the digital asset exchange Borabit, delivered a presentation titled 'Blockchain and the Digital Economy,' outlining how blockchain has transformed daily life and industry, and proposing solutions to the challenges faced by blockchain companies.

In the afternoon session, Tae-hoon Kim and Shengnan Li, Senior Researcher from the University of Zurich Blockchain Center, together with Soo-yong Park, Chair of the Web3.0 Forum Operating Committee and Professor at Sogang University, and Yongbeom Park, President of the Korean Blockchain Society, delivered lectures and engaged in discussions on research exchange initiatives between Korea and Switzerland.

Finally, academic presentations covered recent domestic and international research trends in blockchain-based technologies, practical blockchain applications, blockchain regulation, and blockchain policy. Research papers in blockchain fields of interest to industry and academia were presented, providing an active forum for scholarly exchange among researchers.

Yang O-bong, President of JBNU, who co-hosted the seminar, said in his congratulatory address, 'This conference will be a meaningful opportunity to gain new inspiration for fostering the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province's digital asset financial special zone,' and added, 'I hope this academic event will help solidify the foundation for a Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province–style digital asset financial special zone and create an opportunity for the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province to take a new leap forward.'