South Korea to Impose Capital Gains Tax on Crypto
- The finance ministry of the country is tasked to prepare a draft bill by the first half of next year.

Properly taxing earnings from crypto is a major debate topic all over the world; however, the South Korean government has finally found a way.
The South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance has decided to impose capital gains tax on digital currencies, The Korea Times reported on Sunday.
Per the sources of the local publication, the ministry is aiming to prepare the first draft of the bill by the first half of next year.
“Related discussions have been taking place […] The revised bill will be drawn up by the first half of next year,” an anonymous official from the ministry told the publication.
Taxation is mandatory
However, the report also outlined that the government will not rely on the approval of the upcoming bill - it is prepared to levy capital gains tax on incomes from digital currencies anyway. The government, however, should put a clear definition of cryptocurrency.
Moreover, it is also not clear whether the government is planning to implement the gains tax similar to profits from stock trading or real estate transactions.
The South Korean government is already collecting trading data from the crypto exchanges operating in the country, which is essential to impose a tax on such incomes.
Several other countries are also considering to impose similar taxation on crypto earnings. Last month, Ukraine proposed a similar bill for crypto gains tax. If passed, the nationals need to pay a five percent tax on crypto for the first five years, and afterward, the government will levy the standard 18 percent tax.
Meanwhile, several other crypto-related bills are pending with the South Korean Assembly for approval. The government is also determined to strengthen Know Your Customer (KYC) Know Your Customer (KYC) Know Your Customer (KYC) is the process via which the broker is verifying the true identity of its clients in order to comply with multiple regulations. KYC is used to assess the suitability of customers when it comes to anti-money laundering regulations, any type of financial fraud and determining whether they are potentially risky for the brokerage.In particular, KYC guidelines in financial services mandate that individuals make a cohesive effort to verify the identity, suitability, and risks Know Your Customer (KYC) is the process via which the broker is verifying the true identity of its clients in order to comply with multiple regulations. KYC is used to assess the suitability of customers when it comes to anti-money laundering regulations, any type of financial fraud and determining whether they are potentially risky for the brokerage.In particular, KYC guidelines in financial services mandate that individuals make a cohesive effort to verify the identity, suitability, and risks Read this Term) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Anti-money laundering (AML) is a term that describes laws, processes, and regulations that are intended to prevent illegally obtained funds from being disguised as income gained through legitimate means. The fundamental purpose of the AML laws is to help safeguard, detect, and report suspicious activity including the predicate offenses to money laundering and terrorist financing, such as securities fraud and market manipulation.Most exchanges have AML measures that include identity verification Anti-money laundering (AML) is a term that describes laws, processes, and regulations that are intended to prevent illegally obtained funds from being disguised as income gained through legitimate means. The fundamental purpose of the AML laws is to help safeguard, detect, and report suspicious activity including the predicate offenses to money laundering and terrorist financing, such as securities fraud and market manipulation.Most exchanges have AML measures that include identity verification Read this Term) rules and proposed an act to mandate banks to issue only real-name accounts to crypto exchanges.
Properly taxing earnings from crypto is a major debate topic all over the world; however, the South Korean government has finally found a way.
The South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance has decided to impose capital gains tax on digital currencies, The Korea Times reported on Sunday.
Per the sources of the local publication, the ministry is aiming to prepare the first draft of the bill by the first half of next year.
“Related discussions have been taking place […] The revised bill will be drawn up by the first half of next year,” an anonymous official from the ministry told the publication.
Taxation is mandatory
However, the report also outlined that the government will not rely on the approval of the upcoming bill - it is prepared to levy capital gains tax on incomes from digital currencies anyway. The government, however, should put a clear definition of cryptocurrency.
Moreover, it is also not clear whether the government is planning to implement the gains tax similar to profits from stock trading or real estate transactions.
The South Korean government is already collecting trading data from the crypto exchanges operating in the country, which is essential to impose a tax on such incomes.
Several other countries are also considering to impose similar taxation on crypto earnings. Last month, Ukraine proposed a similar bill for crypto gains tax. If passed, the nationals need to pay a five percent tax on crypto for the first five years, and afterward, the government will levy the standard 18 percent tax.
Meanwhile, several other crypto-related bills are pending with the South Korean Assembly for approval. The government is also determined to strengthen Know Your Customer (KYC) Know Your Customer (KYC) Know Your Customer (KYC) is the process via which the broker is verifying the true identity of its clients in order to comply with multiple regulations. KYC is used to assess the suitability of customers when it comes to anti-money laundering regulations, any type of financial fraud and determining whether they are potentially risky for the brokerage.In particular, KYC guidelines in financial services mandate that individuals make a cohesive effort to verify the identity, suitability, and risks Know Your Customer (KYC) is the process via which the broker is verifying the true identity of its clients in order to comply with multiple regulations. KYC is used to assess the suitability of customers when it comes to anti-money laundering regulations, any type of financial fraud and determining whether they are potentially risky for the brokerage.In particular, KYC guidelines in financial services mandate that individuals make a cohesive effort to verify the identity, suitability, and risks Read this Term) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Anti-money laundering (AML) is a term that describes laws, processes, and regulations that are intended to prevent illegally obtained funds from being disguised as income gained through legitimate means. The fundamental purpose of the AML laws is to help safeguard, detect, and report suspicious activity including the predicate offenses to money laundering and terrorist financing, such as securities fraud and market manipulation.Most exchanges have AML measures that include identity verification Anti-money laundering (AML) is a term that describes laws, processes, and regulations that are intended to prevent illegally obtained funds from being disguised as income gained through legitimate means. The fundamental purpose of the AML laws is to help safeguard, detect, and report suspicious activity including the predicate offenses to money laundering and terrorist financing, such as securities fraud and market manipulation.Most exchanges have AML measures that include identity verification Read this Term) rules and proposed an act to mandate banks to issue only real-name accounts to crypto exchanges.