South Korean lawmakers are secretly stacking Bitcoin, XRP and even Pepe.
Their bets reflect a country where crypto traders currently outweigh stock investors.
But when government pushes to revive local markets, politicians’ portfolios tell a different story.
The new report shows that many South Korean lawmakers are quietly investing in crypto, opting for digital assets over the weak local stock market. Instead of relying on Kospi, they’re building portfolios with meme coins like Bitcoin, XRP, Pepe, and even US tech giants like Microsoft and Tesla.
This change reflects major trends across the country. Over 16 million Koreans have already traded on exchanges such as Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax. That number is expected to reach 20 million by the end of 2025. This amounts to over 14.1 million people investing in domestic stocks. With mobile apps trading as easily as the banking industry, Crypto is quickly becoming the biggest option for both citizens and politicians.
Korea’s Crypto Shift
The survey, led by South Korea’s outlet energy Kyongjae, looked into the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Commission, one of the groups shaping investor policy. Surprisingly, instead of supporting the country’s stock market, some members are leading their money to crypto and foreign stocks.
This comes as President Lee Jae Myung’s government is pushing for the “Kospi 5000 ERA” plan to revive local markets. Ironically, the same lawmakers who promote this vision are also betting on the code for personal gain.
XRP, Pepe in the portfolio
- Jin Jung-O (Power Party for Opposition People) owns over 3,300 XRPs, with low Xcore and Paycoin volumes. His portfolio has grown from $1,768 to nearly $9,600 in just a few months.
- Jin’s mother is deeper in the game, with Bitcoin, Chili’s, Sandbox and 3.2 billion Pepe tokens.
- The moon surface The Democrats own around $1,300 worth of XRP, and code interest is spreading across the party’s boundaries.
Beyond Crypto, lawmakers have bought US tech stocks such as Microsoft, Nvidia, Apple and Tesla, as well as privately listed Korean gaming companies such as Xten Games and Memray.
Crypto Future, the lawmaker’s signal
The findings reveal clear changes in thinking. Lawmakers believe crypto and global technology offer more possibilities than South Korea’s domestic market. As they write policies to regulate and grow these industries, their own portfolios suggest where they look beyond blockchain and South Korea’s borders to fund futures.