As digital assets increasingly move from the margins of technology and finance into broader economic and regulatory debate, a new academic organization in South Korea is positioning itself as a platform connecting policy, research and industry practice.
The Korea Digital Asset Society (KDAS) officially launched on May 23 with its inaugural general assembly and first academic forum held at Dongguk University’s Graduate School of Law in central Seoul.
The event, hosted by the Korea Digital Asset Society and organized by the Digital Asset Law Program at Dongguk University Graduate School of Law, brought together participants from academia, industry and related institutions. Supporting organizations included the Digital Convergence Industry Association, the Asia Blockchain City Finance Association and the Korea Age-Tech Association.
Kwon Se-jun was inaugurated as the society’s first president.
The launch reflects a broader structural shift underway in the digital economy. While traditional wealth has historically been defined through tangible assets such as land, property and cash, economic value is increasingly being attached to intangible forms of ownership—including data, digital content, online identities and blockchain-based assets.
The expansion of internet infrastructure and smartphone adoption has accelerated this transition, embedding digital activity into daily life and creating new categories of economically valuable assets. As a result, digital assets are influencing not only personal consumption and ownership patterns but also corporate operations and wider economic systems.
Blockchain technology has further intensified this transformation by introducing mechanisms designed to secure transaction records and reduce risks of forgery or tampering. The emergence of cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and tokenized assets has expanded the range of digital ownership models and opened new channels for participation in global economic activity.
Bitcoin and other digital assets, once viewed primarily as speculative instruments, are increasingly part of a wider discussion surrounding financial infrastructure, asset ownership and regulatory modernization.
Against this backdrop, the Korea Digital Asset Society said it aims to serve as a professional academic body supporting the sound development and institutional foundation of the digital asset sector.
Operating under the slogan, “Opening the Future of Digital Assets Through the Connection of Scholarship and Practice,” the society plans to examine sustainable development pathways for the rapidly expanding digital asset industry.
Its agenda will focus on key policy and market issues including legislation, tokenization, taxation and regulatory frameworks, while positioning itself as a domestic platform linking academic research with practical expertise.
The organization also plans to promote industry-academic collaboration involving emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Beyond technology development, the society intends to contribute to deeper academic research while engaging in broader policy and institutional discussions surrounding digital assets.
The launch of the Korea Digital Asset Society signals that South Korea’s digital asset discourse may be entering a new phase—one less centered solely on trading and market activity and increasingly focused on governance, legal architecture and long-term institutional design.
