South Korea Sees Sharp Rise in Crypto Gifts to Minors Before Tighter Tax Checks
South Korea has seen a significant increase in cryptocurrency gifts to minors, according to data obtained by Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Tae-ho. The number of reported virtual asset gifts to children under 18 rose 2.7 times in 2025, reaching 4.03 billion won ($2.8 million).
The value of crypto gifts to children aged 11 or younger tripled to 2.35 billion won, with reported cases rising from 28 to 65.
The National Tax Service has recorded a total of 423 crypto inheritance and gift cases worth 45.86 billion won in 2025, a significant increase from the previous year.
As South Korea prepares to expand its tax authority's powers to include virtual asset service providers like Upbit and Bithumb, lawmakers are calling for improvements to the tax information system to cover person-to-person transfers, overseas transactions, and private wallets.