‘World Blockchain Content Platform’ led by South Korea will take its first step.
‘World Blockchain Content Platform’ led by South Korea will take its first step.
Posted August. 22, 2025 10:35,
Updated August. 22, 2025 10:37
- Led by lawmaker Jae-won Kim, South Korea is spearheading an ambitious
initiative to build a global blockchain platform that transparently manages
content copyrights and distribution, ensuring creators are fairly compensated.
- The project aims to establish a new international standard for content
identification, starting with a proposed proof-of-concept between major Korean
KOMCA and Japanese JASRAC copyright organizations.
- By leveraging the global influence of K-Culture, this initiative seeks to position
South Korea as a leader in the global cultural market while protecting creators'
rights and establishing cultural sovereignty.
South Korea is spearheading an ambitious initiative to build a global ‘Blockchain Content Platform’ designed to transparently manage copyright and international distribution routes using immutable blockchain technology.
Led by lawmaker Jae-won Kim of the Rebuilding Korea Party, the platform aims to empower creators by enabling them to easily expand their reach worldwide while ensuring they receive their full, rightful earnings.
By positioning South Korea at the helm of creating the platform and its underlying content identification system, the project is also expected to significantly amplify the global influence of K-Culture.
The initiative is an extension of the vision Kim laid out in his master's thesis at Korea University, titled "A Study on the Restructuring Music Universal Content Identifier Service System - Focusing on Blockchain Technology." Traditionally, the music industry has assigned individual identification numbers to tracks to monitor their distribution and sales. However, this method has proven ineffective at tracking illegal downloads, unauthorized streaming, and the use of music in derivative works. Furthermore, the lack of a universal identification standard, with different codes used by each country, creates significant administrative hurdles for global distribution.
In his paper, Kim presented a blueprint for a blockchain-based music identification system that could evolve into a global standard. The proposed content platform builds on this concept. Blockchain offers a tamper-proof, transparent, and decentralized ledger that operates uniformly across borders, allowing all participants to engage on equal terms. By leveraging this technology, the platform would provide a secure and convenient system for creators worldwide to register and protect their rights.
Putting his plan into action, Kim visited the headquarters of the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) in Tokyo on July 31. He met with key officials, including Chairman Kazumasa Izawa, to discuss the project.
The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA), South Korea's largest music copyright collective, and Benjamin Ng, the Asia-Pacific Regional Director for the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), which manages the global ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code).
During the discussion, the attendees explored methods for managing copyrights for music and other creative works using blockchain. Kim announced his commitment to fleshing out the global platform based on these talks, with the goal of securing participation from the world's major copyright organizations. By having these groups join the platform to interconnect and verify information, a transparent system for managing global content distribution and influence can be established, naturally protecting creators' rights and boosting the impact of their work.
Kim proposed that KOMCA and JASRAC, representing the content powerhouses of South Korea and Japan, take the first step by launching a joint proof-of-concept (PoC) for the blockchain platform. JASRAC is already utilizing blockchain technology for copyright and usage data management. CISAC has also expressed significant interest and reportedly suggested the topic be discussed at its upcoming general assembly.
If South Korea successfully leads this initiative, it would naturally position the country to establish the new global standard for content identification. Leveraging the immense international influence of K-Pop and the broader K-Culture, South Korea could rapidly scale the platform and its standards across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Kim anticipates this process will enable the nation to take a leading role in the global cultural market.
In preparation, Kim has been actively advocating for related policies, urging for a budget increase for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and calling for the independence of a specialized agency dedicated to ‘Culture Technology (CT),’ including blockchain and AI.
"As a content powerhouse and a technologically advanced nation, South Korea has the full capacity to build and manage a global blockchain content platform," Kim stated. "By creating this platform with our Culture Technology, we can hit three birds with one stone: protecting creators' rights, strengthening the content ecosystem, and establishing cultural sovereignty in the global content supremacy race. I will work to support the success of the Korean government’s cultural industry development pledges while striving to ensure our country leads the global content market."
By Ju-kyung Cha (racingcar@itdonga.com)
initiative to build a global blockchain platform that transparently manages
content copyrights and distribution, ensuring creators are fairly compensated.
- The project aims to establish a new international standard for content
identification, starting with a proposed proof-of-concept between major Korean
KOMCA and Japanese JASRAC copyright organizations.
- By leveraging the global influence of K-Culture, this initiative seeks to position
South Korea as a leader in the global cultural market while protecting creators'
rights and establishing cultural sovereignty.
South Korea is spearheading an ambitious initiative to build a global ‘Blockchain Content Platform’ designed to transparently manage copyright and international distribution routes using immutable blockchain technology.
Led by lawmaker Jae-won Kim of the Rebuilding Korea Party, the platform aims to empower creators by enabling them to easily expand their reach worldwide while ensuring they receive their full, rightful earnings.
By positioning South Korea at the helm of creating the platform and its underlying content identification system, the project is also expected to significantly amplify the global influence of K-Culture.
The initiative is an extension of the vision Kim laid out in his master's thesis at Korea University, titled "A Study on the Restructuring Music Universal Content Identifier Service System - Focusing on Blockchain Technology." Traditionally, the music industry has assigned individual identification numbers to tracks to monitor their distribution and sales. However, this method has proven ineffective at tracking illegal downloads, unauthorized streaming, and the use of music in derivative works. Furthermore, the lack of a universal identification standard, with different codes used by each country, creates significant administrative hurdles for global distribution.
In his paper, Kim presented a blueprint for a blockchain-based music identification system that could evolve into a global standard. The proposed content platform builds on this concept. Blockchain offers a tamper-proof, transparent, and decentralized ledger that operates uniformly across borders, allowing all participants to engage on equal terms. By leveraging this technology, the platform would provide a secure and convenient system for creators worldwide to register and protect their rights.
Lawmaker Jae-won Kim (sixth from left) with officials from KOMCA and JASRAC / source=KOMCA
Putting his plan into action, Kim visited the headquarters of the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) in Tokyo on July 31. He met with key officials, including Chairman Kazumasa Izawa, to discuss the project.
The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA), South Korea's largest music copyright collective, and Benjamin Ng, the Asia-Pacific Regional Director for the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), which manages the global ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code).
During the discussion, the attendees explored methods for managing copyrights for music and other creative works using blockchain. Kim announced his commitment to fleshing out the global platform based on these talks, with the goal of securing participation from the world's major copyright organizations. By having these groups join the platform to interconnect and verify information, a transparent system for managing global content distribution and influence can be established, naturally protecting creators' rights and boosting the impact of their work.
Kim proposed that KOMCA and JASRAC, representing the content powerhouses of South Korea and Japan, take the first step by launching a joint proof-of-concept (PoC) for the blockchain platform. JASRAC is already utilizing blockchain technology for copyright and usage data management. CISAC has also expressed significant interest and reportedly suggested the topic be discussed at its upcoming general assembly.
If South Korea successfully leads this initiative, it would naturally position the country to establish the new global standard for content identification. Leveraging the immense international influence of K-Pop and the broader K-Culture, South Korea could rapidly scale the platform and its standards across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Kim anticipates this process will enable the nation to take a leading role in the global cultural market.
In preparation, Kim has been actively advocating for related policies, urging for a budget increase for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and calling for the independence of a specialized agency dedicated to ‘Culture Technology (CT),’ including blockchain and AI.
"As a content powerhouse and a technologically advanced nation, South Korea has the full capacity to build and manage a global blockchain content platform," Kim stated. "By creating this platform with our Culture Technology, we can hit three birds with one stone: protecting creators' rights, strengthening the content ecosystem, and establishing cultural sovereignty in the global content supremacy race. I will work to support the success of the Korean government’s cultural industry development pledges while striving to ensure our country leads the global content market."
By Ju-kyung Cha (racingcar@itdonga.com)
About Dong-A Ilbo