백서로 옥석 가리기: 유망 블록체인 프로젝트 구별법

Hello! Welcome to [Maeil Hangeul], the blog that will upgrade your Korean skills!

Today, we’re diving into a highly specialized and professional topic: how to evaluate a promising blockchain project’s white paper in Korean. This might sound complex, but it’s an incredibly useful skill. Lately in Korea, with the massive resurgence of interest in Web3 and blockchain technology, countless new projects are appearing. But how do you distinguish a truly innovative project from a less reliable one? It all starts with analyzing the 백서 (baekseo), or white paper. Mastering the vocabulary for this will not only expand your professional Korean but also make you sound like a seasoned expert in tech discussions.

Let’s learn how to analyze these documents like a pro!

Core Expressions for White Paper Analysis

Here are the essential terms you need to know to critically assess a blockchain project in Korean.

1. 백서 (Baekseo)

• Pronunciation [Romanized]: Baekseo
• English Meaning: White Paper
• Detailed Explanation: This is the foundational document of any crypto or blockchain project. It’s a comprehensive report outlining the project’s technology, goals, tokenomics, and roadmap. The term 백서 literally means “white document” and is used in business and government for any in-depth, authoritative report. In the context of blockchain, it is the single most important document for potential investors and developers.
• 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
  The character ‘서’ (seo) is often a point of difficulty. It’s not ‘so’ or ‘suh’. Try to make a sound halfway between ‘suh’ (as in ‘sun’) and ‘saw’, but without rounding your lips. Keep your mouth relaxed.

2. 옥석을 가리다 (Okseogeul garida)

• Pronunciation [Romanized]: Okseogeul garida
• English Meaning: To separate the jade from the stones (to distinguish the good from the bad; to separate the wheat from the chaff).
• Detailed Explanation: This is a sophisticated idiomatic expression perfect for a C2 learner. 옥 (ok) means jade, and 석 (seok) means stone. 가리다 (garida) means to distinguish or differentiate. When you’re faced with numerous options, like many new blockchain projects, and you need to identify the truly valuable ones, this is the perfect phrase to use. It implies a keen eye for quality and value.
• 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
  This phrase showcases a key Korean pronunciation rule called 연음 (yeon-eum), or linking. The final consonant of a syllable block moves to the next syllable if that syllable starts with a vowel (ㅇ). So, 옥석을 is not pronounced ‘ok-seok-eul’ but flows together as [옥서글, ok-seo-geul]. This makes your speech sound much more natural and fluid.

3. 실현 가능성 (Sirhyeon ganeungseong)

• Pronunciation [Romanized]: Silhyeon ganeungseong
• English Meaning: Feasibility; viability; practicability.
• Detailed Explanation: This is a critical criterion for evaluating any project. It’s composed of three parts: 실현 (sirhyeon) meaning realization or implementation, 가능 (ganeung) meaning possibility, and 성 (seong) which is a suffix that turns a noun into a concept, similar to “-ity” or “-ness” in English. When you question a project’s 실현 가능성, you are asking, “Can they actually build what they promise in the white paper?”
• 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
  Notice the sound change in 가능성. Due to a rule called 경음화 (gyeong-eum-hwa), or tensification, the ‘ㅅ’ (s) sound becomes a tense ‘ㅆ’ (ss) sound. So, it’s pronounced [가능썽, ganeung-sseong], not [ganeung-seong]. This adds a slight emphasis and is a hallmark of a native-like accent.

4. 기술적 구현 방안 (Gisuljeok guhyeon bangan)

• Pronunciation [Romanized]: Gisuljeok guhyeon bangan
• English Meaning: Technical implementation plan.
• Detailed Explanation: This is a highly professional phrase that gets to the heart of a white paper’s technical section. 기술적 (gisuljeok) means “technical,” 구현 (guhyeon) means “implementation” or “realization,” and 방안 (bangan) means “a plan” or “a measure.” When you analyze this, you’re looking for the specific, concrete steps and architectural details of how the technology will be built. A vague 기술적 구현 방안 is often a major red flag.
• 💡 Pronunciation Tip:
  The word 기술적 also undergoes tensification. The 적 (jeok) suffix, when it follows a vowel or certain consonants, is often pronounced as [쩍, jjeok]. So, the whole phrase sounds more like [기술쩍 구현 방안, gisul-jjeok guhyeon bangan].

Example Dialogue

Let’s see how these expressions are used in a real conversation between two colleagues at a Korean tech investment firm.

A (김 팀장 – Team Leader Kim): 이 대리, 새로 나온 ‘퓨처코인’ 프로젝트 백서 검토해 봤어요?
(Yi Daeri, have you had a chance to review the new ‘FutureCoin’ project’s white paper?)

B (이 대리 – Assistant Manager Lee): 네, 팀장님. 아이디어는 혁신적인데, 구체적인 기술적 구현 방안이 부족해 보입니다.
(Yes, Team Leader Kim. The idea is innovative, but it seems to lack a concrete technical implementation plan.)

A (김 팀장): 맞아요. 요즘 워낙 프로젝트가 많다 보니 옥석을 가리기가 정말 힘드네요. 장기적인 실현 가능성에 대해 어떻게 생각해요?
(I agree. There are so many projects these days, it’s really difficult to separate the gems from the stones. What do you think about its long-term feasibility?)

B (이 대리): 솔직히 말씀드리면, 로드맵이 너무 야심차기만 해서 실현 가능성에 의문이 듭니다. 신중하게 접근해야 할 것 같습니다.
(To be honest, the roadmap is overly ambitious, which makes me question its feasibility. I think we need to approach this cautiously.)

Culture Tip & Trend Deep Dive

In Korea, the blockchain and crypto space is not just for developers; it’s a hot topic among the general public, especially the younger generation (MZ 세대). Online communities like ‘코인판 (Coinpan)’ are massive forums where thousands of retail investors intensely debate the merits of new projects.

In these discussions, the 백서 is treated like a sacred text. Users will tear it apart, analyzing every detail of the 기술적 구현 방안 and fiercely debating its 실현 가능성.

Using an idiom like 옥석을 가리다 in this context will instantly elevate your status. It shows you’re not just a casual observer but someone who understands the need for critical analysis and due diligence. Mentioning that you’re trying to “옥석을 가려내고 있다” (in the process of distinguishing the good from the bad) during a conversation about investments will make you sound incredibly fluent and knowledgeable.

Wrap-up & Practice

Great job today! We’ve learned some highly professional Korean vocabulary for evaluating blockchain white papers:

• 백서 (Baekseo): White Paper
• 옥석을 가리다 (Okseogeul garida): To separate the good from the bad
• 실현 가능성 (Sirhyeon ganeungseong): Feasibility / Viability
• 기술적 구현 방안 (Gisuljeok guhyeon bangan): Technical implementation plan

Now, let’s put it into practice!

1. Fill in the blank:

이 프로젝트는 백서를 읽어보니 아이디어는 훌륭하지만, (________________)이/가 낮아 보여서 투자하기에는 위험 부담이 큽니다.
(After reading this project’s white paper, the idea is excellent, but the risk of investing is high because its (________________) seems low.)

2. Sentence Creation:

Using the idiom 옥석을 가리다, write a short sentence about choosing a company to work for or a movie to watch.

Share your answers in the comments below! I’d love to see how you use these powerful expressions. Keep up the great work