South Korea to Tighten Asset Reviews for Senior Officials, Broaden Disclosures on Single-Stock ETFs

South Korea will tighten reviews of cryptocurrency and unlisted stock holdings by senior public officials and require fuller disclosure of single-stock exchange-traded fund positions.

The Ministry of Personnel Management briefed President Lee Jae-myung on the measures at the presidential office on August 5 as part of its key policy agenda for the second half of 2026, News1 reported on August 6.

The ministry plans to step up scrutiny of crypto assets held by civil servants at Grade 4 or above who are subject to asset screening, as part of efforts to strengthen integrity in the public sector and improve transparency in asset disclosures. It will seek to secure trading records earlier and closely inspect cases suspected of involving overseas transactions or trades made under borrowed names.

It also plans a more detailed review of unlisted shares, including the source of funds, how the shares were acquired and transaction records.

Rules for disclosing the assets of senior public officials will also change. Under revisions to the enforcement rule of the Public Service Ethics Act, single-stock ETFs that had previously been reported under the deposit category, without disclosure of the security name or the number of units held, will now be classified as securities, requiring both to be made public.

Single-stock ETFs will also be added to the list of assets subject to stock blind trusts. Senior public officials who hold more than 30 million won ($21,700) in job-related single-stock ETFs will be required to sell the holdings or place them in a blind trust within two months, the same rule that applies to listed shares.

The ministry plans to complete consultations with securities firms by October and upgrade the public ethics system before continuing asset reviews of crypto assets and single-stock ETFs. It also plans to continue intensive reviews of crypto assets and unlisted shares while pursuing legal revisions to strengthen drug control in the public sector.