With taxation on virtual asset trading gains set to take effect next year, gifts of cryptocurrency to minor children in South Korea have surged nearly threefold in a single year. The strategy is straightforward: by filling up the gift tax deduction limit in advance, parents can reduce the future tax burden on investment returns their children will eventually realize.

According to data obtained by Democratic Party lawmaker Chung Tae-ho, a member of the National Assembly’s Strategy and Finance Committee, from the National Tax Service, total virtual asset inheritance and gift cases last year numbered 423, amounting to 45.862 billion won (approximately $34.2 million). Compared with the previous year, the number of cases rose 2.4-fold and…