Dunamu CEO Oh Says Crypto Slump Is Time to Keep Building, Innovating

Dunamu Chief Executive Officer Oh Kyung-seok said the digital-asset industry should continue investing in technology development and innovation despite the market downturn, arguing that capabilities built during a slump can lay the groundwork for the next phase of growth.

Speaking in an opening address at D-CON 2026 held at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul in Yeouido on Nov. 10, Oh said some of the industry’s most important innovations stemmed from efforts that did not stop even in difficult markets. Capabilities accumulated in hard times do not disappear, he said, and instead become the foundation for the next leap forward.

“Blockchain is building trust in networks through verification,” Oh said. He added that the digital-asset industry has grown by proving its potential and value amid challenges and skepticism. Among the changes so far, he cited convergence with traditional finance, blockchain technology being used in everyday financial activities and discussions over a basic law for digital assets.

Oh said stablecoins and Layer 2 scaling technology were also the product of innovation that continued when market interest had waned. Technologies that are now familiar did not take shape overnight. They were born of steady efforts to improve blockchain scalability and efficiency while enhancing security and usability when the market had turned away, he said.

He compared the sector to the semiconductor industry, which also went through repeated booms and slumps while facing market doubt and skepticism. Even in difficult periods, that industry continued technology development and long-term investment, and the accumulated capabilities helped create its current global competitiveness, he said.

On the recent rise in artificial intelligence-based security threats, Oh added that the industry is continuing the challenge of protecting market trust by further strengthening its security systems.

Oh also pointed to the trend toward greater institutionalization of digital assets in major countries and broader use of blockchain in the real economy. Major countries are beginning to see digital assets as an important element of financial innovation and national competitiveness, he said. The industry must now find concrete answers on what competitiveness it will build and what future it wants to create.