Over 10,000 Koreans Now Hold $750K+ in Crypto as Young Investors Lead by Holdings

More than 10,000 South Korean crypto investors now hold digital assets exceeding 1 billion won ($750,000) across domestic exchanges, with young investors in their 20s maintaining the highest average holdings despite representing the smallest demographic ￰0￱ to the Korean Times , the data showed that one in five Koreans actively trades ￰1￱ Investors Lead Holdings With Smallest Numbers Financial Supervisory Service data submitted to lawmakers reveals 10,810 users across Korea’s five major exchanges, including Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and GOPAX, each held assets surpassing the 1 billion won threshold as of August ￰2￱ crypto millionaires maintain average balances of 2.23 billion won, approximately 217 times the overall user average of 10.27 million ￰3￱ demographic breakdown reveals that investors in their 50s dominate by numbers, with 3,994 individuals, followed by those in their 40s with 3,086 participants.) July 9, 2025 The Ministry of SMEs and Startups proposed amendments to include Virtual Asset Service Providers under venture company status, potentially reversing policies that previously categorized crypto firms alongside gambling ￰4￱ regulators have lifted restrictions on institutional crypto investments while preparing to approve Korea’s first spot cryptocurrency ￰5￱ Financial Services Commission presented implementation measures for spot crypto ETFs and regulatory frameworks for won-based stablecoins scheduled for the second half of ￰6￱ financial institutions have filed numerous stablecoin trademark applications following Lee’s campaign promises to launch Korean won-pegged digital currencies for business and international ￰7￱ banks and IT companies are developing crypto-related business plans, anticipating opportunities in advanced payment platforms.

However, regulatory crackdowns continue in specific ￰8￱ Financial Services Commission suspended all crypto lending services after 27,600 investors borrowed 1.5 trillion won in the first month, with 13% facing forced liquidations due to market ￰9￱ Investors Drive Adoption Despite Regulatory Uncertainties According to a recent report from Cryptonew, Korean investors in their 20s and 30s increasingly favor crypto investments over traditional ￰10￱ stocks , with crypto-related equity investments rising from 8.5% in January to 36.5% in June before declining to 31.4% in ￰11￱ Korean Center for International Finance attributed this shift to expanding stablecoin opportunities following the ￰12￱ Act ￰13￱ President Donald Trump displays the GENIUS Act after signing.) per ￰14￱ adopters typically began with Bitcoin before diversifying into altcoins and stablecoins as experience increased, with 60% starting investments during the 2020 bull ￰15￱ adoption is growing in the country, tax authorities have also intensified crypto asset seizures from tax evaders, with Jeju City recently completing investigations of 2,962 residents and seizing 230 million won worth of cryptocurrencies from 49 individuals.

Seoul’s Gangnam District recovered over $144,000 through similar enforcement actions, using AI-powered tools to identify hidden crypto ￰16￱ taxation remains suspended until January 2027, creating a grace period during which capital gains taxes are not ￰17￱ leaders warn that the Democratic Party may enforce virtual asset taxation starting in 2027 to secure tax revenue amid expansionary fiscal policies.