S.Korea says no plans to ban cryptocurrency

South Korea's finance minister said the government has no plans to shut down cryptocurrency trading, welcome news for investors worried that authorities might go as far as China's tough action in blocking virtual coin platforms.

The comment by Kim Dong-yeon on Wednesday comes as traders at home and around the world have been spooked by conflicting comments from government officials in South Korea, a major hub for cryptocurrency trade, that Seoul was planning to ban local digital coin exchanges.

"There is no intention to ban or suppress cryptocurrency (market)," Kim said, adding the government's immediate task is to regulate exchanges.

Yesterday saw the introduction of new rules preventing the use of anonymous virtual accounts for trading, meaning individuals must use real names on bank and exchange accounts. Further, authorities said people not complying with the change face penalties.