Bank of Korea Halts CBDC Project as Government Submits Stablecoin Bill: Report

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By Jamie Crawley|Edited by Sheldon Reback

Jun 30, 2025, 10:05 a.m.

16:9 South Korea Won (ldensity67/Pixabay)
  • The Bank of Korea suspended its central bank digital currency project, Singapore’s Business Times reported on Monday.
  • The project had reached the stage of developing a pilot program alongside participating banks.
  • Earlier this month, President Lee’s ruling Democratic party submitted a bill that would allow qualifying companies to issue stablecoins.

The Bank of Korea (BOK) suspended its central bank digital currency project, Singaporean financial newspaper Business Times reported on Monday.

The project had reached the stage of developing a pilot program with participating banks.

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The central bank told the banks it will pause discussions related to the initiative, according to the report, which cited an unidentified BOK official.

South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung, who took office June 4, courted the country’s cryptocurrency community during his election campaign. Among his promises was a pledge to support a won-based stablecoin market.

Earlier this month, Lee’s ruling Democratic party submitted a bill that would allow qualifying companies to issue stablecoins.

CBDCs are a form of fiat currency that are meant to act as a digital counterpart to cash. They have been criticized as a concept, particularly among the crypto community, over concerns about privacy, surveillance and state control.

The Bank of Korea did not respond to CoinDesk’s request for comment.

Jamie has been part of CoinDesk’s news team since February 2021, focusing on breaking news, Bitcoin tech and protocols and crypto VC. He holds BTC, ETH and DOGE.

Jamie Crawley

 

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