Interview with Hong Ji-sook, CEO of ARTTOKEN

[Art Korea Broadcast = Reporter Kim Han-jung] To interview Hong Ji-sook, CEO of ARTTOKEN, who is receiving attention in the art world, Art Critic Kim Jong-geun and she met briefly at Jang Design Art on the afternoon of August 25.

NFT (Non-Fungible Token), which has recently emerged as a hot topic in the virtual market, is the medium that actualizes the situation where digitized artwork is exhibited through mobile phones in our hands, large screens in the living room television, or large screens on the exterior walls of buildings.

Art Critic Kim Jong-geun asked Hong Ji-sook, CEO of ARTTOKEN, as a daily reporter.

Q. Could you tell us about the prospects of NFTs in the Korean art market and why people are enthusiastic about NFTs?

CEO Hong Ji-sook stated, “The NFT market is rapidly growing not only in the Korean art market but globally, and its growth rate is expanding by 5 to 10 times. Although Korea started a little later than the U.S. market, NFTs are receiving a lot of attention recently. Since August of last year, NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) have been used by general people, and they have received so much attention that they were chosen as the word of the year in 2021.”

She explained, “We believe the Korean NFT market is just beginning. The NFT market, which started with PFP (Profile Picture), is also rapidly expanding into the art market. Since art itself holds valuable quality, containing the entire talent of an artist's life, it is intrinsically Non-Fungible. This value has been safely protected and traded through blockchain technology, which protects the rights of these irreplaceable digital IPs as NFTs. Therefore, NFTs will play a crucial role in expanding art into the virtual world, the metaverse, and opening the path to the future.”

Art Critic Kim Jong-geun

Q. ARTTOKEN has recently been frequently holding NFT conferences, gaining much attention, and highlighting new possibilities in the infinite market to many general artists and collectors. Please tell us about your projects concerning NFTs and the art market.

CEO Hong Ji-sook explained, “First, KIAF and KIAF Plus, starting in September, are major art events where many domestic and international collectors gather. We are collaborating with participating companies at KIAF and KIAF Plus to plan spaces and set up NFT exhibitions. Our goal is to introduce Korean artists to the world, so we have partnered with Samsung TV, and our NFT platform will be showcased at the European Appliance Show in Germany starting September 2nd. Samsung TV is launching three NFT platforms. In Korea, our ARTTOKEN platform is preparing a project to showcase artists' works at the European Appliance Show in Germany alongside Samsung TV, similar to Nifty Gateway in the U.S. and La Collection in the U.K.”

Art Critic Kim Jong-geun

Q. I understand that ARTTOKEN has recently been inviting many established artists, young artists, and even international artists. What are your visions and prospects?

CEO Hong Ji-sook stated, “Our primary goal is to introduce Korean artists to the world first.”

She said, “Even when I attended the NFT Summit in Paris last time, there was very high interest in Korean artists' works, and they showed considerable interest in Korean painting and Korean sensibility, which they hadn't seen before. Therefore, if we digitize and NFT these works by artists who highlight those aspects—such as Lee Seok-ju and Han Man-young, who specialize in hyperrealism—and make them viewable and ownable by many people globally, it itself holds immense value. Our goal is to allow the world to enjoy the works of teachers who have dedicated their lives to difficult work in Korea.”

She also announced her aspirations, saying, “Rising star artists like Seong Tae-jin, Song Byeong-hee, and Animoon are receiving great interest overseas. We aim to create NFTs for these artists and go abroad with them. This year, we plan to enter the Miami Scope Art Fair in December to promote Korean artists.”

Art Critic Kim Jong-geun

Q. As the CEO of ARTTOKEN, could you offer a word of advice to Korean artists and young artists?

CEO Hong Ji-sook concluded, “We are preparing for global operations. The renewed platform is being launched as an Ethereum-based global platform. The renewed platform is being prepared to be broadcast globally across 191 countries via Samsung TV. We are evolving the platform to match the regulations and systems of each country. When young Korean artists find it difficult to promote or go global while working as artists, please submit your work to ARTTOKEN, and we will work hard together to help you go global and promote your work.”

Art Critic Kim Jong-geun concluded his remarks by saying, “I, along with Art Korea Broadcast, will cheer for many domestic celebrities and artists to be introduced to the international art market through ARTTOKEN and NFTs.”

ARTTOKEN is an NFT platform where not only digital art but also existing artists' works can be issued (Minted) and traded. Investors can purchase NFT artworks from ARTTOKEN and view them on digital devices such as TVs, large screens, phones, or computers, and subsequent resale is possible.

CEO Hong, who holds master's and doctoral degrees in business administration, previously gained experience in SAP HR system construction, training, and marketing planning. Her interest in art NFTs began as a hobby. While preparing for an exhibition in Paris, France, as an amateur artist, she was saddened that the work of painter Bang Hye-ja, who received help, was well-known—to the point where her work was installed in the stained glass of Chartres Cathedral, a representative of the highest Gothic art in France—but was being forgotten among the younger generation in Korea. She pondered a way for young people in Korea to easily collect and enjoy the works of domestic artists and came up with the idea of an art transaction platform utilizing NFTs. She received initial investment from various venture capital firms (VCs) such as L&S Venture Capital and Korea Investment Partners (KTP), and established ARTTOKEN in April of last year.

ARTTOKEN Co., Ltd. is an integrated art content group that curates collectible NFTs and proposes valuable collection methods based on the 'Art NFT Marketplace'.

Through ArtTech, which integrates the value of technology and artistry, ARTTOKEN imbues artworks with digital life by reinterpreting them. As a venture company founded in 2021, ARTTOKEN operates the NFT art platform (http://arttoken.ai...) and aims to create a community culture where customers and the market grow together with Art NFTs through global online and offline exhibitions and conferences.

In May and June, we held the largest domestic 'Digital Era _ NFT Art 101' exhibition and conference, and we are pioneering a new horizon for NFT art by undertaking a new project to convert MBC's popular content, 'Infinite Challenge,' into NFT art.

Hong Ji-sook

JASMINE JISOOK HONG(CEO)

Ph.D. in Business Administration

SAP/ERP HR Module Consultant

Adjunct Professor at Hanyang University, College of Business

Lecturer at Ewha Womans University and Yonsei University College of Business

Development/Operation of 360-Degree Leadership Multi-Rater Evaluation Program

Online Mall Design and Development Planning

Brand Strategy Development and Marketing

Leadership Evaluation at Ewha Womans University Graduate School

Yonsei University Graduate School SAP Development Project HR

Seonimol Online Shop Planning, Development, and Marketing

Establishing Branding Strategy for Eejidu Cosmetics

Exhibition

2021.11.17 ~ 23 Shin Jae-hyun Water Shape, Solo Exhibition (Nodeul Island Multipurpose Hall)

2021.12. 01 ~ 19 KARTZ Exhibition (Nodeul Island Multipurpose Hall)

2022.03.30 ~ 104. 10 Animoon NFT Solo Exhibition (MBC Smart Center)

2022.04.13~05. 08 Infinite Challenge X LAYLAY Collaboration Exhibition (MBC Smart Center)

2022.05.04 ~ 105.29 NFT ART 101 Exhibition (Gangdong Art Center Artrang)

2022.05.12 ~ 05.29 Infinite Challenge X Seong Tae-jin Collaboration Exhibition (MBC Smart Center)

2022.06. 17 NFT ART 101 Conference (Yongsan Dragon City Hotel) Planning/Host

2022.09.01 ~ 09. 05 KIAF Plus Exhibition Collaboration (COEX) (Planned)

2022.09.02 ~ 09.06 Samsung Electronics TV Application Exhibition (IFA, Germany) (Planned)

MOU and Investment Attraction

2021.04. 01 ARTTOKEN Co., Ltd. Established

2021.09. 09 Certified Women-Owned Enterprise

2021.10. 13 Certified Venture Company / L&S Seed Investment Attraction

2022.02.18 Signed MOU for CRYPTO-BE Content Production, Exhibition, and Sales

2022.03.22 Signed MOU for Joint Promotion of NFT Business with MBC

2022.04.05 KTB Venture Investment Attraction

2022.04.06 Korea Investment Partners Venture Investment Attraction

2022.04.28 MOU for Samsung TV App Development

2022.06.15 MOU for NFT ART 101 Conference with Soongsil University

2022.06.17 Business Collaboration with Asia Economic Daily

2022.06.17 Business Collaboration with KT Membership

2022 06 17 Korean NFT MOU

2022 06 17 MOU with Shin & Partners

2022 06 17 MOU with Planet Meta

Source: Art Korea Broadcast ( https://www.artkoreatv.com ) https://www.artkoreatv.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=84036