South Korea's Central Bank Begins Recruiting Cryptocurrency Experts, Simultaneously Restarts Digital Won Project and Plans to Launch Pilot in 2026

Mars Finance News: The Bank of Korea announced the recruitment of 10 new employees, with some positions requiring at least five years of experience in the crypto industry. The fastest candidate could start as a digital asset market analyst as early as July this year, responsible for researching the impact of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and tokenized assets on financial stability. The recruitment coincides with the resumption of the CBDC Han River project, which was halted last year due to user feedback about inconvenience during the pilot phase. The new plan shifts focus toward government and enterprise applications: the authorities aim to distribute 25% of government subsidies in digital won by 2030 and plan to launch pilot payments in the first half of 2026. The head of the digital currency planning team at the Bank of Korea stated that stablecoins and CBDCs are not in competition but complement each other. This deployment, along with upcoming legislation, will lift the long-standing ban on domestic issuance of cryptocurrencies and stablecoins.