South Korean Officials Meet With US SEC, Weigh Unified Crypto Rules Amid Local Scandals

The SEC hosted a delegation of South Korean officials and digital asset stakeholders on Tuesday to bridge the crypto regulatory gaps between Washington and Seoul.

The coalition, tied to one of Asia’s most active digital markets, explored topics such as stablecoin regulation, tokenized securities, and cross-border coordination with the SEC’s crypto task force, according to a memorandum and meeting outline released by the commission.

Choices made by U.S. regulators and lawmakers are likely to shape new rules in South Korea, as the nation moves to establish digital asset regulation, the meeting outline notes.

“Unnecessary divergence between major jurisdictions may create uncertainty,” the document adds. “Korea is a significant digital asset market in Asia, with active retail participation, growing institutional interest, and an ongoing policy debate.”

Tuesday’s meeting highlights the degree to which global market participants look to U.S. regulatory clarity to shape international frameworks, aligning various markets as Wall Street races to integrate digital assets into the traditional financial system.

In the U.S., legislation under consideration has created a divide. Some lawmakers have argued that the CLARITY Act could make America a global leader in crypto regulation, while others express fears that the bill’s passage could loosen money-laundering protections worldwide.

Notably, the group discussed custody following a high-profile setback earlier this year, in which South Korea’s national tax agency shared seed phrases capable of unlocking seized wallets. Although $4.8 million in crypto was swiftly swiped, the funds were later returned.

That same month, South Korean regulators began investigating Bithumb, one of the country’s largest crypto exchanges, after the firm mistakenly credited users with $43 billion in Bitcoin. Bithumb offered to compensate users after the error temporarily tanked Bitcoin’s price on the exchange.

The discussion also focused on the regulation of crypto trading platforms. Earlier this month, law enforcement in South Korea booked Bithumb CEO Lee Jae-won as a bribery suspect over allegedly hiring a legislator’s relatives. The exchange’s headquarters were raided.

In the U.S. capital, the South Korean delegation signaled that it is particularly interested in how it can develop classification standards for digital assets, calling back to the crypto industry’s Biden-era battles with regulators over whether tokens should be classified as securities.

At the same time, the group discussed how South Korean rules could be tailored to support digital representations of real-world assets like stocks and bonds. Earlier this year, the SEC delayed an exemption for tokenized assets following concerns about third-party issuers. 

In South Korea, crypto has become vastly popular. Assuming each account belongs to one person, a survey released by local regulators in March found that 11.13 million users were registered with regulated entities, accounting for around 20% of the nation’s population.