Finance minister nominee backs January crypto tax rollout despite industry, opposition pushback

Lee Hyoung-il said he supports rolling out South Korea’s crypto tax next January as scheduled, despite opposition from industry and lawmakers. He said tax rules will be finalized by a National Tax Service public notice by year-end and defended treating crypto gains as miscellaneous income. He also called the tax necessary for fairness, while DAXA and opposition lawmakers pushed for delay or abolition.

The crypto tax would apply a 20 percent rate to profits from transferring or lending digital assets, after a 2.5 million won basic allowance.

The policy was originally set for 2022 but has already been delayed three times because of weak tax infrastructure, market volatility, and unfinished investor protection rules.

Under current law, the tax is slated to cover transactions starting in 2027, with filing and payment in May 2028.

DAXA said crypto exchanges still lack a standardized digital network with regulators and argued that data-sharing systems need more lead time and testing.

Rep. Song Eon-seog proposed abolishing the crypto tax clauses, while Rep. Jung Sung-kook proposed delaying the effective date to January 2030.

Published Sep 13, 2026 2:28 pm KST

Lee defends classifying crypto income as miscellaneous income as 'appropriate'

Lee Hyoung-il, nominee to head the Ministry of Finance and Economy, answers questions from reporters, Sept. 3, as he arrives at an office set up at the Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. in central Seoul to prepare for his confirmation hearing. Yonhap

The nominee to head the Ministry of Finance and Economy expressed his intention on Sunday to implement the cryptocurrency tax next January as scheduled, despite pushback from both industry players and opposition lawmakers.

In written materials submitted to the National Assembly ahead of a confirmation hearing slated for Tuesday, Lee Hyoung-il, who currently serves as first vice finance minister, noted that specific tax rules would be finalized through a National Tax Service public notice by year-end, ensuring taxpayers face no confusion when filing.

He also defended classifying crypto asset income as miscellaneous income under the current tax framework, calling it an “appropriate” approach to applying taxpayer-friendly measures, such as a basic deduction and a single tax rate.

“Given that stock trades involving major shareholders, foreign equities and unlisted shares, along with transaction taxes, are already subject to taxation, extending tax rules to crypto assets is essential for tax fairness,” he said.

The crypto tax regime treats profits from transferring or lending digital assets as miscellaneous income, levying a 20 percent tax rate. Taxable amounts apply to net annual gains after deducting a basic allowance of 2.5 million won ($1,860), with no provision to carry forward losses into future tax years.

While initially set for a 2022 rollout, the policy faced three separate delays due to inadequate tax infrastructure, market volatility and an unfinished investor protection framework. Under current law, the tax is slated to cover transactions starting in 2027, making May 2028 the actual period for filing and payment.

Yet, industry officials argue that the timeline remains premature, pointing out that infrastructure and cross-border information-sharing mechanisms are still far from ready.

Earlier this month, the Digital Asset eXchange Association (DAXA), representing the country’s major crypto exchanges, drew up an industry position paper, highlighting the complete absence of a standardized digital network between regulators and exchanges, as well as a severe shortage of preparation time.

DAXA stressed that, unlike traditional financial firms operating on uniform IT networks, crypto exchanges rely on disparate internal data architectures and manage complex records, such as on-chain wallet addresses and airdrops, that cannot currently be integrated into automated regulatory systems.

“We urgently need adequate lead time to construct and test IT infrastructure while setting up standard operating protocols,” DAXA said.

Ambiguity surrounding the scope of data inquiries was raised as another key concern. DAXA warned that if data requests lead to privacy-related complaints, the fallout will hit exchanges directly rather than government authorities.

The group further warned that treating crypto proceeds as miscellaneous income risks triggering legal disputes both domestically and internationally. Additionally, they argued that imposing taxes on digital assets while eliminating the financial investment income tax creates a glaring imbalance.

“The industry fully agrees that crypto taxation is inevitable in the long run,” DAXA said. “However, the start date should only be reconsidered once technical infrastructure and data-sharing systems have been thoroughly tested and early regulatory reforms have settled down.”

Lawmakers from the main opposition People Power Party have also introduced bills to either scrap or delay the crypto tax. Rep. Song Eon-seog put forward a bill to eliminate the tax clauses entirely, while Rep. Jung Sung-kook proposed pushing the effective date back to January 2030.

On a separate note in his parliamentary submission, Lee also elaborated on the operational plans for the upcoming Korean strategic sovereign wealth fund, projected to launch with over 20 trillion won, estimating that investable liquid assets for next year are expected to reach around 1 trillion won, driven by direct cash capital and public entity dividend payouts.

According to the ministry, the fund’s initial capital structure will rely mainly on more than 16 trillion won in noncash equity contributions from government-held stakes in entities such as the Korea Development Bank.

The government plans to set up a dedicated strategic investment account within the Korea Investment Corp. (KIC) before expanding and restructuring it into a full-scale sovereign wealth fund next year.

Authorities expect the fund to supply long-term, patient capital to core strategic sectors while leveraging the global network and market credibility of the KIC to draw in private and international capital.

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尽管遭到业界和议员的反对，李亨日表示他支持韩国按计划于明年1月推出加密货币税。他表示，税收细则将在年底前由国税厅发布公告最终确定，并为将加密货币收益视为其他收入的做法辩护。他还称该税项对于公平至关重要，而DAXA和反对派议员则力主推迟或取消该税项。

加密货币税将对转移或借贷数字资产所得利润征收 20% 的税率，扣除 250 万韩元的基本免税额后生效。

该政策原定于 2022 年实施，但由于税收基础设施薄弱、市场波动以及投资者保护规则尚未完善，已被推迟了三次。

根据现行法律，该税项计划涵盖从 2027 年开始的交易，申报和缴纳时间为 2028 年 5 月。

DAXA表示，加密货币交易所仍然缺乏与监管机构建立的标准化数字网络，并认为数据共享系统需要更多的准备时间和测试。

宋延锡议员提议废除加密货币税条款，而郑成国议员提议将生效日期推迟到 2030 年 1 月。

发布于2026年9月13日下午2:28（韩国标准时间）

李认为将加密货币收入归类为其他收入是“恰当的”。

9月3日，韩国财政经济部部长提名人李亨日抵达位于首尔市中心的韩国存款保险公司临时办公室，准备参加确认听证会。他在办公室接受记者提问。（韩联社）

尽管遭到业内人士和反对派议员的反对，财政经济部部长提名人周日表示，他打算按计划于明年1月实施加密货币税。

在提交给国会的书面材料中，现任第一副财政部长李亨日指出，具体的税收规则将在年底前通过国家税务局的公告最终确定，以确保纳税人在申报时不会感到困惑。该材料将在周二举行的确认听证会之前提交国会。

他还为将加密资产收入归类为当前税收框架下的杂项收入辩护，称这是应用对纳税人友好的措施（如基本扣除和单一税率）的“适当”方法。

“鉴于涉及主要股东、外国股票和非上市股票的股票交易以及交易税已经需要缴税，将税收规则扩展到加密资产对于税收公平至关重要，”他说道。

加密货币税收制度将转移或借贷数字资产所得利润视为其他收入，征收 20% 的税率。应税金额适用于扣除 250 万韩元（约合 1860 美元）基本免税额后的年度净收益，且不允许将亏损结转至未来纳税年度。

该政策最初计划于2022年推出，但由于税收基础设施不足、市场波动以及投资者保护框架尚未完善，先后三次延期。根据现行法律，该税项预计将于2027年开始征收，因此实际申报和缴纳期限为2028年5月。

然而，业内人士认为，目前的时间表还为时尚早，并指出基础设施和跨境信息共享机制仍远未准备就绪。

本月初，代表该国主要加密货币交易所的数字资产交易协会（DAXA）起草了一份行业立场文件，强调监管机构和交易所之间完全缺乏标准化的数字网络，以及准备时间严重不足。

DAXA 强调，与在统一 IT 网络上运营的传统金融公司不同，加密货币交易所依赖于不同的内部数据架构，并管理复杂的记录，例如链上钱包地址和空投，这些记录目前无法集成到自动化监管系统中。

DAXA表示：“我们迫切需要充足的准备时间来构建和测试IT基础设施，同时建立标准操作规程。”

数据查询范围的模糊性也被认为是另一个关键问题。DAXA警告称，如果数据请求导致隐私相关的投诉，其后果将直接波及交易所，而非政府机构。

该组织进一步警告称，将加密货币收益视为其他收入可能会引发国内外的法律纠纷。此外，他们认为，对数字资产征税却取消金融投资收益税，会造成明显的税收失衡。

“业界完全认同加密货币征税从长远来看是不可避免的，”DAXA表示。“然而，只有在技术基础设施和数据共享系统经过彻底测试，以及早期监管改革步入正轨之后，才能重新考虑征税的启动日期。”

主要反对党国民力量党的议员也提出了废除或推迟加密货币税的法案。宋彦锡议员提出一项法案，旨在彻底取消相关税收条款；而郑成国议员则提议将生效日期推迟至2030年1月。

在提交给国会的文件中，李还详细阐述了即将成立的韩国战略主权财富基金的运营计划。该基金预计将以超过 20 万亿韩元的规模启动，预计明年可投资的流动资产将达到约 1 万亿韩元，主要由直接现金资本和公共实体股息支付推动。

据该部称，该基金的初始资本结构将主要依靠政府持有的韩国开发银行等实体的股份提供的超过 16 万亿韩元的非现金股权出资。

政府计划在韩国投资公司（KIC）内设立一个专门的战略投资账户，然后在明年将其扩展和重组为一个全面的主权财富基金。

当局希望该基金能够为核心战略部门提供长期、耐心的资本，同时利用韩国投资公司（KIC）的全球网络和市场信誉来吸引私人和国际资本。

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