Korea Cryptocurrency Pioneer Episode 12 - Kwon Yao-sup, the first Korean to establish an exchange

What is the true beginning of Korea’s cryptocurrency industry? TokenPost and Professor Kim Hyung-jung jointly launched the “Korea Cryptocurrency Pioneers” project to trace the roots of Korea’s cryptocurrency scene and document the untold stories of its pioneers. The weekly released episodes contain only some core content. For a deeper and more comprehensive story, please visit frontier.tokenpost.kr.[Editor’s note]

As a Korean, the earliest person to establish a cryptocurrency exchange was Yo Sub Kwon. He co-founded the cryptocurrency exchange Coinsetter in New York, USA, in November 2012. This was about a year before Korea’s earliest exchange, Korbit, and, by the standards of that time, it was one of the most technically advanced exchanges.

Coinsetter was co-founded by Yo Sub Kwon and Jaron Lukasiewicz. Yo Sub Kwon is almost unknown in Korea; his name briefly appeared in the domestic community on the “땡글” forum in November 2013, which was the first and last time. However, he is quite well-known overseas.

Yo Sub Kwon is a natural programmer and risk entrepreneur. To date, he has participated in founding many companies. He founded American Productions in 2006, ShirtsByMe in 2011, LaunchKey and Coinsetter in 2012, Hosho in 2017, ZettaFi Labs in 2021, and others.

He graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Computer Engineering. As early as 2006, during his studies, he co-founded American Productions with web designer Ryan Mendoza, immersing himself early in the startup scene.

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