South Korea's Legal Framework: Crypto Assets Accumulated During Marriage Are Divisible Property

Gate News message, April 25 — According to South Korea’s Asia Economy Daily, a woman in her 40s discovered two years after her divorce that her ex-husband had secretly invested in cryptocurrency during their marriage and made substantial profits. Na-hee Kim, an attorney at Saeworld Law, stated that stocks and virtual assets formed during marriage are classified as divisible property under Korean law. If a spouse was completely unaware of such assets at the time of divorce, they may file a supplementary division claim, but must do so within two years of the divorce date.

Regarding asset tracing, the party can request a financial disclosure order from the court and review approximately three years of bank statements to identify deposits and withdrawals related to cryptocurrency exchanges. The individual can then petition the court for a document production order to verify the ex-spouse’s virtual asset holdings.

The legal framework emphasizes that hidden crypto investments during marriage do not exempt assets from division, and Korean courts provide mechanisms for discovering and claiming such assets even after divorce proceedings conclude.