South Korea Surpasses 16 Million Crypto Investors, Officials Join the Trend

South Korea Crypto Investors Total 16 Million South Korea has achieved a total of 16.29 million crypto investors as of February 2025, which is nearly 32% of the total population. This data, shared with Rebuilding Korea Party Rep. Cha Gyu-geun, was collected from the country’s top five crypto exchanges: Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and Gopax. The steady stream of investors proves that the nation’s interest in digital currency is increasing. The investors numbered over 14 million in March 2024 and continued to rise after Donald Trump secured the U.S. presidential election in November, which boosted market confidence and added 500,000 more participants. Experts within the industry predict continued expansion, possibly pushing the number to 20 million. “There are those who claim that the crypto market has reached a point of saturation, yet there remains infinite potential for growth compared to the mature stock market,” stated one official. 1 in 5 Korean Officials Declare Crypto Assets According to a recent Munhwa report, 20% of South Korean government officials making asset declarations also declared cryptocurrency holdings. Of the 2,047 public officials who made reports, 411 reported holding digital assets. They are famous individuals such as the Secretary General of the Labor-Management Development Foundation and the Vice President of the Korea Water Resources Corporation. Their total holdings are 14.41 billion KRW (approximately $9.8 million), on average 35.07 million KRW ($23,927) per official. Seoul City Councilor Kim Hye-young revealed the biggest crypto holdings, which have a total of 1.7 billion KRW, according to the 2025 Government Public Ethics Committee report. Policy Implications of Growing Adoption The growing crypto involvement of citizens and government officials may form a more sophisticated regulatory strategy in South Korea. Despite the country’s stringent legislation—such as obligatory real-name authentication and strict anti-money laundering regulations—increasing individual involvement by regulators in the cryptocurrency market can shape future policy.