South Korea's virtual asset tax may face a fourth delay, and the prospects for its implementation in 2027 are unclear.

According to a report by Kim Gap-rae, a senior researcher at the Korea Capital Market Institute, on November 24, the virtual asset tax policy originally scheduled for implementation in 2027 may face a fourth delay. Despite having already experienced three postponements, key institutional defects remain unresolved, including a lack of clear definitions and standards for various forms of income such as lending income, Airdrop, and Hard Fork.

Especially the tax rules for overseas exchanges and P2P transactions between individuals ( are almost blank, which may lead to an unfair tax burden between domestic exchange users and overseas platform users. The government expects to achieve comprehensive taxation after the 48-country virtual asset information-sharing agreement comes into effect in 2027.

Experts suggest establishing a “Special Task Force for the Rectification of the Virtual Asset Tax System” to clarify the tax rules for various types of income and to establish an information collection system connected to exchanges and individual wallets to ensure the smooth implementation of policies. Currently, South Korea has approximately 10.77 million virtual asset users, which is close to the number of stock investors.