[South Korea Ministry of Finance: Tokenized stocks are considered securities, not virtual assets, with taxation possibly starting as early as the second half of the year] According to Bloomvingbit, the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance stated that tokenized stocks are regarded as securities rather than virtual assets. If the Financial Services Commission confirms their status as securities, they can be taxed immediately under the current Capital Markets Act, potentially starting as early as the second half of this year. Officials from the Ministry of Finance pointed out that while tokenized stocks may appear to be virtual assets in form, they are substantively closer to securities. The Financial Services Commission had previously clarified in its token securities guidelines that token securities are securities issued in digital asset form and fall under the jurisdiction of the Capital Markets Act. Currently, the market generally considers tokenized stocks as virtual assets (non-taxable assets), allowing them to enjoy tax exemptions until the implementation of virtual asset taxation next year. However, the Ministry of Finance has emphasized its stance on taxation and is working to establish an information exchange system with overseas tax authorities, including the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.