The founder and CEO of a South Korean blockchain start-up, Glosfer, has refuted press allegations that he wants to separate blockchain from cryptocurrency. Kim Tae-won made an analogy between the new tech and a potential murderer. If the murderer, let free, went on to make a vast fortune, should he be prevented from doing so by putting him in prison? On the other hand, if not imprisoned, he could very well kill a lot of people.

In such an analogy, blockchain has the potential to do some great things in the future, but the immediate damage it could do in the present is already visible in the illicit uses of cryptocurrencies for gambling, drug trafficking, money laundering and gun-running. Should we segregate blockchain to stop this activity, and so stifle the great potential of its future use in other fields?

Kim, who established Glosfer in 2015 and launched the platform with a $1.4m ICO in 2017, says ethics must come first. Actually segregating the two business technologies is not possible, however, so he believes blockchain must be fettered until it is more secure. At present, it\'s still in its gestation period, though development will become more rapid.

Kim Tae-won, a former professional footballer, is a director of the Korea Blockchain Industry Promotion Association.