South Korea doesn't intend to shut down virtual coin trading: finance minister

[SEOUL] South Korea's finance minister said on Thursday the government has no plans to shut down cryptocurrency trading, affirming market speculation that the authorities won't go as far as China, which has blocked virtual coin platforms.

Questioned by a lawmaker on the government's plans to regulate the market, Kim Dong-yeon said that "there is no intention to ban or suppress cryptocurrency (market)".

"Regulating exchanges is (the government)'s immediate task," Mr Kim said.

REUTERS