South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT plans to expand and reorganise its blockchain demand-supply forum, ABLE, into a business growth support platform to respond to new markets such as AI and digital assets.

The ministry said it held ABLE's regular seminar on Aug. 13 at the Seoul Textile Center with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA). The event was set up to help local companies identify new blockchain market demand and find opportunities for business cooperation and overseas expansion as AI agents and digital assets spread.

The seminar introduced topics including DSRV Labs' proof-of-concept cases from overseas government projects, the global digital asset ecosystem and technology demand from the financial sector, the role of blockchain in AI agent-based trading and payments, and projects by the Inter-American Development Bank Lab (IDB Lab). Participants also shared trends in overseas blockchain markets and technology demand in the United States, Japan and Vietnam.

One-on-one business matching was also held between demand companies and investors in industries such as finance and construction and blockchain firms. Participants discussed technology adoption, business cooperation and the possibility of attracting investment, while ABLE advisory members provided consultations on legal and institutional issues and management.

ABLE is a public-private platform launched in July 2023 to link blockchain demand and supply. Since its launch, it has added 34 member companies and, through seven regular meetings, supported 225 one-on-one business matchings and 65 consultations on legal, institutional and management difficulties.

The ministry plans to pursue a reorganisation of ABLE around four divisions: finance and digital assets, industry and non-finance, AI-blockchain convergence, and overseas expansion. It also plans to expand cooperation networks with overseas governments, international organisations and local innovation institutions, and to strengthen advice on technology, legal systems, investment and overseas expansion tailored to companies' stages of growth.

On Aug. 14 it will hold a related event, IR Demo Day, to run company presentations and one-on-one investment consultations between blockchain small and startup companies and domestic specialist investors. The ministry plans to link public and industrial on-site demand identified through ABLE to blockchain support programmes and to support overseas expansion through overseas exhibitions, export consultation meetings, and projects with international organisations and overseas governments.

Lee Do-kyu (이도규), director general for ICT policy at the ministry, said the role of blockchain in verifying data origin and authority and transaction histories so they can be trusted will become more important as AI agents and digital assets spread. He said the ministry will expand and reorganise ABLE into a public-private cooperation platform that discovers new market demand and connects proof-of-concept, commercialisation, investment and overseas expansion.