Anchor: The government says it will decide on a proposed shutdown of virtual currency exchanges after carrying out sufficient consultations among related agencies. The announcement backpedals on Justice Minister Park Sang-ki's remark last week that the government plans to ban cryptocurrency trading. 
Our Bae Joo-yon has more. 

Report: The government has vowed special measures to clamp down on the overheated cryptocurrency market, but says banning the trading of virtual money isn't in the pipeline yet. 

The head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination’s Economic Policy Coordination Office said Monday that the government will make a decision on shutting down cryptocurrency exchanges after sufficient consultation and coordination among related agencies.

In a news briefing, Jung Ki-joon said the justice minister's recent remark that the government is considering the closure of virtual currency exchanges is one of the measures proposed by the Justice Ministry on December 28th to curb cryptocurrency speculation. 

Jung said pursuing the proposal requires coordination of views among government agencies. 

He said that the government will push forward the implementation of a real-name system for cryptocurrency transactions. At the same time, the government will sternly crack down on illegal activities involving virtual money, including market manipulation, money laundering and tax evasion through joint probes by the prosecution and police. 

Despite a strong response to speculation and other unlawful activities, Jung said the government will provide research and development support to foster blockchain, the underlying technology behind cryptocurrencies.

He said the Office for Government Policy Coordination will be at the center of coordinating the positions of government agencies regarding cryptocurrency. 

The briefing comes after the presidential office doused Justice Minister Park Sang-ki's comment last week that the government is preparing a special bill on banning cryptocurrency trading. The remark had caused a major selloff of digital currency. 
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.