The debate over taxing paper gains widened concerns around richly valued tech stocks as SK Hynix sank more than 8% and related crypto derivatives open interest reached $184 million.
A June 23 tax reform forum in South Korea brought together lawmakers from the Democratic Party, Progressive Party and Social Democratic Party to support a shift toward taxing net asset appreciation, including unrealized gains on stocks and real estate. The debate unfolded against a sharp market selloff, with Yonhap reporting that the KOSPI fell 9.99% and triggered a circuit breaker as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix led declines. Fresh concern centered on highly valued technology shares, with SK Hynix falling more than 8%. In crypto-linked trading, CoinGlass data showed open interest in SKHYNIX contracts at $184 million, with Binance, Bitget and OKX accounting for about 83% of the market. Researchers at the forum suggested easing implementation by allowing deferred payment until assets are realized and by running pilot programs for hard-to-value holdings. The discussion highlights the political and market sensitivity of taxing paper gains, a policy approach that can broaden the tax base but also raises valuation and liquidity concerns for investors who have not sold their assets.