South Korea to Tighten Asset Reviews for Senior Officials’ Crypto Holdings, Expand Single-Stock ETF Disclosures

South Korea will strengthen reviews of senior public officials’ crypto assets and unlisted stock holdings, while expanding disclosure requirements for single-stock exchange-traded funds to include fund names and the number of units held.

According to News1 on August 6, the Ministry of Personnel Management briefed President Lee Jae-myung at the presidential office a day earlier on its key policy plans for the second half of 2026.

The ministry plans to step up reviews of crypto assets held by Grade 4 or higher officials subject to asset screening as part of efforts to bolster integrity in the civil service and improve transparency in asset disclosures. It will obtain transaction records earlier and focus inspections on cases suspected of involving overseas trades or transactions under borrowed names. It also plans to closely review unlisted stocks, including sources of funds, acquisition background and trading records.

The disclosure format for senior officials’ assets will also change. Under revised enforcement rules for the Public Service Ethics Act, single-stock ETFs that had previously been reported under the “deposits” category, without disclosing fund names or holdings, will now be classified as “securities,” requiring both details to be made public.

Single-stock ETFs will also be included in the stock blind trust system. Senior officials holding more than 30 million won ($21,600) in job-related single-stock ETFs will, as with ordinary listed shares, have to sell them within two months or place them in a blind trust.

The ministry plans to complete consultations with securities firms by October and upgrade the public ethics system before continuing asset reviews of crypto holdings and single-stock ETFs. It will also keep up intensive reviews of crypto assets and unlisted stocks while pursuing legal revisions to strengthen narcotics management in the public sector.