[The Bank of Korea Begins Recruiting Cryptocurrency Experts and Plans to Launch Digital Won Pilot Payments in the First Half of 2026] According to a report by Jinse Finance, on March 26, the Bank of Korea announced the recruitment of 10 new employees, with some positions requiring at least five years of experience in the cryptocurrency industry. Starting as early as July this year, they will serve as digital asset market analysts, responsible for studying the impact of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and tokenized assets on financial stability. The recruitment announcement coincides with the central bank's revival of the CBDC project, known as the Han River Project, which was previously halted last year due to pilot users reporting usability issues. The new phase of the project has shifted its focus toward government and enterprise application scenarios. Authorities aim to distribute 25% of government subsidies via the digital won by 2030 and plan to launch pilot payments in the first half of 2026. The head of the Bank of Korea's digital currency planning team stated that stablecoins and CBDCs are not in a competitive relationship but rather complement each other. This deployment aligns with upcoming legislation, under which South Korea will lift the long-standing ban on the domestic issuance of cryptocurrencies and stablecoins.