The top crypto holder among top South Korean officials
Kim Hye-young, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, holds the title of the top crypto holder among senior government officials in South Korea. Her crypto assets are valued at 1.7 billion won ($1.2 million).
This information comes from South Korea’s latest crypto asset report, which reveals that senior government officials collectively possess 14.42 billion won ($9.83 million) in digital assets.
An asset disclosure report released by the Ethics Committee for government officials on March 27, 2025, disclosed that 20.1% of the 2,047 officials surveyed owned cryptocurrency.
Kim Hye-young’s crypto portfolio
Kim Hye-young owns a diverse range of digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and XRP. Her holdings include 0.00144591 Bitcoin, 0.01226935 Ethereum, 519,004 XRP, and 472 Dogecoins in her name. Additionally, her eldest son holds 3,336 XRP on her behalf.
Kim’s cryptocurrency holdings surpass those of other officials, making her a prominent figure in South Korea’s public-sector crypto landscape.
Following Kim Hye-young is Choi Min-gyu, a Seoul City Councilman, who reported digital assets worth 1.621 billion won ($1.104 million) consisting of XRP tokens, Artidium, and AD tokens. Kim Ki-hwan, CEO of Busan-Ulsan Expressway Co., declared virtual assets worth 1.426 billion won ($0.972 million) invested in Luna Classic, Chaldeans, Horus Pay, and IOS Black tokens.
Other officials with substantial cryptocurrency holdings include Kim Dae-hwan, Director-General of the Labor Development Foundation; Oh Mun-kyo, Dean of Police University; and Park Chun, President of Jeonju Education University.
Government’s crackdown on crypto disclosures and exchange access
The South Korean government has increased oversight in response to the growing popularity of cryptocurrency. Since 2024, officials with a rank of level four or above are required to disclose their cryptocurrency holdings, including the type and amount of digital assets held.
As cryptocurrencies gain traction as financial assets, the government is emphasizing transparency among public officials. In addition to stricter disclosure rules, South Korean regulators are restricting access to unregistered overseas crypto exchanges operating in the country.
The Financial Services Commission (FSC) has collaborated with Google Play to block access to 17 unregistered exchanges serving local users. This move follows the FIU’s efforts to take action against operators who failed to report their activities under the Specified Financial Information Act.
On March 26, the FSC released a list of 22 unregistered exchanges, with 17 already blocked from the Google Play store in collaboration with the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC).