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South Korea vs Liberia

Crypto regulation comparison

← Back to map | South Korea | Liberia
South Korea

South Korea

Liberia

Liberia

Legal
Restricted

South Korea is one of the world's largest crypto markets. The Virtual Asset Users Protection Act (VAUPA), effective July 2024, provides comprehensive investor protection including requirements for exchanges to hold user assets in cold storage and carry insurance. All VASPs must register with FIU and comply with strict AML rules under the Specific Financial Information Act. A 20% crypto gains tax (above KRW 2.5 million exemption, raised from the original 250K KRW threshold) has been deferred multiple times and is now scheduled for January 2027.

The CBL has not issued crypto licenses and considers unauthorized crypto products illegal. No specific crypto legislation exists but the Financial Institutions Act requires licensing for all financial services.

Tax Type Varies
Tax Type None
Tax Rate 20%
Tax Rate N/A
Exchanges Yes Yes
Exchanges Yes Yes
Mining Yes Yes
Mining Yes Yes
Regulator FSC (Financial Services Commission), FSS, FIU (Korea Financial Intelligence Unit)
Regulator Central Bank of Liberia
Stablecoin Rules Under development; stablecoins subject to VASP rules
Stablecoin Rules No stablecoin regulation
Key Points
  • Virtual Asset Users Protection Act (VAUPA) effective July 2024 — major investor protection law
  • VASPs must register with FIU and partner with real-name verified bank accounts
  • 20% national tax (22% effective incl. 2% local income surtax) above KRW 2.5M annual exemption (deferred to January 2027)
  • Exchanges must hold 80%+ of user assets in cold wallets and carry insurance/reserves
  • Only won-denominated trading pairs allowed on major exchanges (Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit)
Key Points
  • CBL has not approved any crypto licensing
  • Unauthorized crypto products deemed illegal under Financial Institutions Act
  • CBL shut down local crypto startup TACC in 2021
  • No specific crypto tax framework
  • Very low crypto adoption due to limited internet access
Sources
Sources