National canoe team athletes pose for a photo in front of an Upbit photo wall at the South Korean national team's send-off ceremony for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. [Dunamu]
National canoe team athletes pose for a photo in front of an Upbit photo wall at the South Korean national team's send-off ceremony for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. [Dunamu]

Dunamu, the operator of digital asset exchange Upbit, is throwing its support behind South Korea's national team — Team Korea — ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which open Sept. 19.

The company said Monday that Upbit attended the national team's send-off ceremony at the Jincheon National Training Center on Thursday, where it encouraged athletes preparing for the Games.

At the ceremony, Upbit presented national team athletes with motivational cards carrying six messages — confidence, focus, challenge, teamwork, joy and good luck. Each card contained 10,000 won ($7) worth of bitcoin.

Lee Ye-rin of the national canoe team chose "joy" from among the six messages. "The message — 'You'll be able to enjoy yourself the most, just as you are, on the biggest stage' — matched my mindset going into this competition," she said. "I think I can show more of what I've prepared when I go out there with a spirit of enjoyment rather than nerves."

She added that she would do her best in the remaining preparation time and repay the support with a strong performance.

Dunamu has continued to back South Korean national teams competing in international events, including the Winter Olympics and the Asian Games, since signing an official partnership agreement with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee last October.

In February, the company sponsored the South Korean delegation at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics with 100 million won worth of bitcoin. In May, it held a "Pizza Day with the National Team" event for athletes preparing for the Asian Games.

"We hope Team Korea athletes can showcase everything they have worked for at the Asian Games," a Dunamu official said. "Upbit will continue its own pursuit on the global stage and cheer on Team Korea in our own way."

The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will be held from Sept. 19 across Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya, Japan.


woo@heraldcorp.com