Jeong Eun-bo, the chairman of the South Korean stock exchange, has indicated that the exchange wants to investigate in 2025 whether crypto-spot ETFs can be approved. The South Korean Financial Services Commission (FSC) also wants to allow companies to launch security token offerings (STOs).
Jeong spoke during the opening ceremony of the Securities and Derivatives Market 2025 about the possibility of granting approval to cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), according to the South Korean news source The Fact.
In his speech, he explained how the political crisis in South Korea plunged the slowing stock market into chaos. This was due to President Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed attempt to declare a state of emergency. Exhausted traders and investors sold their assets en masse, leading to an exodus from the stock markets.
In the aftermath of this unrest, Jeong believes that the country should explore new business sectors, starting with alternative assets such as crypto ETFs. Jeong said:
“We will benchmark foreign examples for new businesses such as cryptocurrency ETFs and explore new areas in the capital market.”
He added that he also plans to continue promoting South Korea’s value-up program, which helps investors analyze company performance and improve value.
By exploring business opportunities, such as crypto ETFs, Jeong hopes this will be attractive enough to bring foreign and domestic investors back to the market.
In addition, Kim Byung-hwan, the chairman of the Financial Services Commission, spoke during the ceremony. He expressed enthusiasm to allow companies in 2025 the opportunity to launch security token offerings (STOs). Companies in South Korea have been waiting for years for the green light to issue STOs.
Kim explained that the commission plans to take measures to improve the IPO system and strengthen listing and delisting procedures for companies that want to launch their own security tokens. With this, the commission wants to ensure that public offering prices remain rational. Kim said the following about this:
“We will institutionalize STOs, fragmented investment platforms, and equity platforms to diversify the system for securities issuance and distribution, thereby promoting the growth of companies and collective investment instruments.”
It therefore appears that the South Korean stock exchange and the FSC are determined to make progress in the field of crypto regulations to legitimize the sector. The chairman of the South Korean stock exchange previously urged lawmakers to act quickly to institutionalize the crypto industry. Otherwise, the country risks falling behind other countries, according to Jeong.
However, lawmakers have decided to leave crypto-related regulation for the time being until the impeachment procedure of President Yoon Suk-yeol is completed. At the time of writing, a court in Seoul has issued an arrest warrant for Yoon after he failed to appear for questioning three times. However, the arrest was cancelled due to security measures that blocked access to Yoon’s estate.
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