South Korea mulls shutting down all virtual currency exchanges

Published Thu, Jan 18, 2018 · 09:50 PM

Seoul

SOUTH Korea's financial regulator chief said in a national policy committee meeting on Thursday that the government is considering shutting down all local virtual currency exchanges.

"(The government) is considering both shutting down all local virtual currency exchanges or just the ones who have been violating the law," said Choi Jong Ku, chief of Financial Services Commission, to a question from a Member of Parliament. His comments came after the world's most popular virtual currency, bitcoin, slid 18 per cent on Wednesday on reports suggesting that South Korea could ban trading of cryptocurrencies.