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South Korea stablecoin outflows reach KRW 560.3 billion in June

South Korea stablecoin outflows reach KRW 560.3 billion in June

Net outflows from the five largest crypto exchanges have exceeded inflows for 18 straight months as investors move dollar-pegged tokens offshore and policymakers weigh interim stablecoin rules.

Fact Check
The Yonhap News primary source directly confirms the June net stablecoin outflow of KRW 560.3 billion and the pattern of 18 consecutive months of outflows. BigGo Finance explicitly confirms the cumulative KRW 14.92 trillion figure and the accompanying weakening of domestic exchange activity, user participation, and asset holdings described in the claim. Bloomingbit and PANews (which cites Yonhap) independently corroborate the June figure and 77.6% ratio. All specific numbers in the claim match the sources; the only minor discrepancy is year-labeling by some aggregators (2024 vs 2025/2026), but the authoritative Yonhap source establishes the period as January 2025 through June 2026.
Summary

Stablecoin transfers from South Korea’s five biggest crypto exchanges posted a net outflow of KRW 560.3 billion in June, extending an 18-month run of outbound flows as traders moved funds to overseas platforms offering products restricted or unavailable at home. Financial Supervisory Service data obtained by Yonhap News through People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jong-wook showed the five exchanges sent KRW 2.7 trillion in stablecoins offshore in June and received KRW 2.2 trillion from foreign venues. Market participants cited by Yonhap said the transfers were driven by demand for overseas derivatives, tokenized real-world assets, decentralized finance and staking products that are restricted or unavailable on domestic exchanges. Lee urged the government to revisit investor protection and oversight of cross-border crypto activity as the outflows persist. The sustained outflows come as South Korea works to complete the Digital Asset Basic Act, a proposed framework for digital assets that would cover stablecoin issuance, disclosures and market activity. A policy report released Thursday recommended interim licensing guidance and a phased approach to stablecoin regulation before the law is finalized, while the Financial Intelligence Unit has separately proposed extending Travel Rule reporting to transfers below 1 million won and called for stronger action against unregistered overseas exchanges serving South Koreans.

Terms & Concepts
  • stablecoin: A crypto token designed to hold a steady value, usually by being pegged to a fiat currency.
  • Travel Rule: A compliance requirement that obliges firms handling digital-asset transfers to collect and share identifying information about the parties involved.
  • tokenized real-world assets: Blockchain-based representations of traditional financial or physical assets that can be traded on digital platforms.