On Monday, Sungkyunkwan University announced that NFT certificates would be issued at its graduation ceremony on the 16th of this month. Three students who won in-school competitions will be the recipients of the NFTs.
This is arguably the first time a domestic university is tapping on NFT tech to produce and distribute official documents.
The institution affirmed that the NFT certificates can be used as official proof of graduation anywhere without the risks of losing the original or fear of forgery.
On the other hand, it is quite appealing for the next generation who are interested in virtual assets and metaverses. It is also a small consolation for 'corona students' who might be missing their campus life due to the Corona 19 situation.
One of the graduating students at the forefront of this award is Ms. Moon Kyung-won, a 10th-grade pharmacy graduate, who received the grand prize in the 'Graduation Success Story Contest.' Lee Ga-hyeon, a student in the Department of Korean Language and Literature, who received the grand prize in the 'Graduation Celebration Video Contest,' and Kim Chae-hyun, a student in the Department of English Language and Literature, will also receive the NFT awards.
Electronic giant Samsung (KS:005930) joined the university’s foundation as a main partner and headline sponsor in 1996, renewing a previous partnership that ran from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
According to local media reports, Sungkyunkwan University intends to adopt blockchain technology in issuing other kinds of certificates as part of its digital evolution to enhance the convenience of on-campus administrative services.
Other South Korean universities like Soongsil and Chung-Ang University, have also partnered with local blockchain developers in recent times to incorporate NFT and metaverse technologies into their graduation services.