Lee Jun-seok: "Bitcoin can be reserved as an ETF... Physical holding is inappropriate"

Lee Jun-seok, the Reform New Party presidential candidate, stated that Bitcoin (BTC) can be held as a national strategic asset. However, he mentioned that holding it in the form of an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is preferable, and there is no need to increase its proportion.

On the 18th, appearing on the YouTube channel 'Kim Writer TV', Lee said, "The dollar should originally be evaluated as a stable asset, but trust in the dollar is being shaken as U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly implements provocative policies such as tariffs. This trend is leading to increased investment in Bitcoin, especially indirect investment through ETFs," he said.

He added, "Korea can also step up to reserve (Bitcoin) to some extent, but there is an overlap with the role of gold," emphasizing, "Do not increase the proportion too much and hold it in forms like ETFs. Physical holding is not allowed."

When asked about whether Bitcoin is a safe asset, Lee replied, "Amid increasing instability of the dollar and the won, Bitcoin is showing an upward trend. It is hard to see it as a bad investor asset," and added, "Unless there are extreme variables such as security threats from quantum computer technology, a certain level of upward trend will be maintained for the time being."

He also suggested a direction for institutional reform of the virtual asset market in general. He said, "The KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure for preventing money laundering should be further strengthened," and "However, asset securitization products such as STO (Security Token Offering) should rather be activated." He continued, "The listing requirements for virtual assets must be strengthened unconditionally. I hope exchanges will handle listing requirements strictly through a consultative body," he added.

Regarding existing investor protection measures, he pointed out, "Many operation forces have already left with funds, and some large exchanges have changed ownership structures, making it realistically difficult to recover damages," and emphasized, "Structural reform of exchanges is urgent to prevent recurrence of damage."

Lee said, "The stock market is managed by KRX (Korea Exchange) as a central exchange, but the virtual asset market has a structure where individual exchanges directly hold won and virtual assets," adding, "This creates a structural limitation where investor protection is difficult in the event of exchange bankruptcy."

He proposed, "Like KRX, exchanges should form a consortium to create a joint system like 'Korea Virtual Asset Exchange', and each platform should seek differentiation through competition in app UX or financial services." He added, "If this structure is established, global funds will flow into the Korean market, becoming a catalyst for the growth of the virtual asset industry."