South Korea Moves to Legally Recognize Stablecoins for Payment

Key Points:

  • South Korea to amend law recognizing stablecoins as payment.
  • Aims to curb money laundering and tax evasion.
  • Direct impact on global stablecoin regulation trends.

South Korean lawmakers propose a bill to formally recognize stablecoins for payment, aiming to prevent illegal activities, aligning with Bank of Korea’s concerns over US dollar stablecoins’ regulatory bypassing.

This legislative move underscores the increasing global regulatory focus on stablecoins, impacting their adoption and integration into traditional financial systems.

South Korea’s Legislative Push on Stablecoin Integration

South Korean legislators push to amend the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, recognizing stablecoins alongside traditional currencies. This legislative change, driven by concerns over stablecoins’ usage in evading financial controls, aims to integrate them into the legal framework.

Stablecoins will have new regulatory oversight, linking them with traditional payment methods under existing legal guidelines. This change could affect global financial strategies regarding stablecoin transactions, ensuring compliance and reducing illicit uses.

Park Sung-hoon, Lawmaker, People’s Power Party, South Korea, – “This regulatory change could affect the use of stablecoins for financial transactions in South Korea, potentially influencing the broader adoption of stablecoins globally.”

Stablecoin Regulation’s Historical Context and Future Implications

Did you know? In 2019, South Korea implemented stringent regulations on traditional cryptocurrencies, signaling a possible trend towards stablecoin regulation as early as four years ago.

As documented by CoinMarketCap, Ethereum’s (ETH) market cap stands at $494.36 billion, reflecting 12.87% dominance. In the last 24 hours, ETH saw a 2.56% price drop, settling at $4,095.87, with a 19.06% surge in trading volume, indicative of dynamic market activity.

ethereum-daily-chart-1804

Ethereum(ETH), daily chart, screenshot on CoinMarketCap at 02:57 UTC on October 28, 2025. Source: CoinMarketCap

Coincu research anticipates that formal recognition of stablecoins could foster a regulated environment promoting trust and transparency. Linking stablecoins with existing legal frameworks may boost global adoption, influencing international regulatory bodies‘ posture towards integrating stable currencies in formal economies.

Source: https://coincu.com/news/south-korea-stablecoin-regulation/