The Korean Prosecutor's Office has purchased a research service on "the securities nature of virtual assets and the laws and directions for protecting victims". The service will be valid until November 2023 to examine the securities nature of virtual assets (cryptocurrencies). The main content is to analyze the main types of crimes and regulatory trends of virtual assets in South Korea and abroad, and provide a basis for exercising the state's power to punish. For virtual assets that are deemed to be securities, the Capital Markets Act can be applied to accuse them of violations, which is expected to increase the sentence and make it easier to recover assets obtained from crimes. (Yonhap News Agency)