{
  "id": 16810117,
  "title": "Pioneer to outsider: Lucentblock CEO fights for survival in Korea's STO market",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/pioneer-to-outsider-lucentblock-ceo-fights-for-survival-in-koreas-sto-16810117",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-27T22:52:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/20261028/pioneer-to-outsider-lucentblock-ceo-fights-for-survival-in-koreas-sto-market"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Korean STO market, brimming with investment fervor during the pandemic, sparked a surge in fractional investing platforms. Lucentblock CEO Huh Se-young spearheaded this movement, offering investors the opportunity to purchase and trade fractions of high-value properties. Since its inception in 2018, the platform has amassed 500,000 users and amassed a staggering 30 billion won in capital. Despite the industry's contraction and government scrutiny, Huh persevered, weathering multiple leadership changes and regulatory hurdles. His platform implemented stringent investor protection measures under the government's sandbox program, and successfully convinced banks to adopt a trust-based structure.",
  "summary": "An unprecedented investment boom swept the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by abundant liquidity. Amid the frenzy, a new investment method known as \"fractional investing\" quickly gained traction. The emerging industry attracted a wave of entrepreneurs who helped shape its standards and practices. Among them was Lucentblock CEO Huh Se-young. His platform allowed investors to buy and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}