THE ICONIST’S NOTE: Broof runs on the ICON public blockchain and uses ICX for transaction fees. Zzeung partially operates on the public chain to verify first-time users, too, which involves a small ICX transaction fee. So, yeah, this is good news for ICX holders, especially if more schools jump on the bandwagon.

One other note. You might wonder what the future of these non-contact services will be after the COVID-19 pandemic fades and we stop treating other human beings as disease vectors. The beauty of a service like broof is that it’s utility goes beyond freeing people from having to meet other people. It greatly simplifies the issuing of important documents, which not only makes life better, but also ensures its place in the post-corona world.

Another day, another use case of ICON’s public chain.

Major provincial Korean university Hoseo University recently held a non-contact graduation ceremony that used ICONLOOP’s certification service “broof” to issue graduation certificates.

Some 2,830 undergraduate and graduate students received certificates and commendation via broof.

Hoeseo University adopted broof because issuing graduation certificates used to be a major chore. Graduates had to apply at a civil affairs website after paying a fee or visit a local government office.

This was necessary because the government “certified” the documents, verifying their authenticity.

WIth broof, however, the issuer — in this case, Hoseo University — saves verified certificates on the blockchain. Third parties can access the certificates, too, with the permission of the holder. This makes the process so much easier.

Broof is a nifty service that lets entities issue certificates without the need to build expensive data systems or print and store paper certificates. Certificate holders, meanwhile, can pull their certificates whenever and wherever they want. Holders can also choose how much information they share.

Holders can administer, store and submit certificates issued by broof with the DID service Zzeung, too.

Hoseo University plans to issue certificates using broof to every graduating class going forward, while ICONLOOP plans to expand use of the service to more universities and improve its functionality.

Besides Hoseo University, broof is currently at work at POSTECH, one of Korea’s top technology and engineering schools.