South Korean corporations Samsung Electronics and Dunamu, along with a number of other major players, have publicly stated that they never signed formal partnership agreements within the consortium behind the OUSD stablecoin. This statement came as a bolt from the blue after local media included these companies in the list of project participants.
According to my information, one of the mentioned firms only learned of its involvement with OUSD from newspaper publications. A Samsung representative emphasized in a comment to Chosun Biz that no official consultations were held with the project's initiators, and the company has no idea what role it could play in this structure.
The situation with other participants is no less telling. Shinhan Financial Group, Dunamu, and Kbank reported that their only contact with Open Standard — the organization launching OUSD — was a request to consider the possibility of participation. Their response boiled down to a standard phrase: "we will look into the matter." In essence, no obligations or even preliminary agreements existed.
Situation Analysis
This incident reveals a fundamental problem with many ambitious crypto projects: the desire to attract big names to boost credibility often outpaces actual negotiations. Including giants like Samsung without their explicit consent is not just a reputational risk but a direct threat to the viability of the entire consortium. If OUSD cannot confirm the real participation of at least one major partner, trust in the stablecoin will be undermined from the very start.
My professional opinion: It is now critically important for the OUSD project to revise its communication strategy. So far, we are witnessing a classic case where PR outpaces actual infrastructure. Without clear and confirmed partnerships, even the most technologically advanced stablecoin risks remaining a niche experiment, unable to compete with USDC or USDT in the Korean market.