By Park Si-soo
South Koreans who are in their 20s and 30s are familiar with cryptocurrencies and willing to invest in them amid the recent craze for the new type of digital money, a survey showed Tuesday.
Some 21.6 percent of 2,511 respondents said they are conscious of cryptocurrencies, with the number soaring to 29.4 percent and 40.3 percent among 20-somethings and 30-somethings, respectively, according to the poll by the Bank of Korea (BOK).
Only 5.7 percent of those in their 60s and 2.2 percent of people aged over 70 said they have heard of digital currencies.
The BOK poll said 24.2 percent of those in their 20s are eager to invest in cryptocurrencies, while 20.1 percent of people in their 30s are also enthusiastic.
Seniors are also in favor of the new currencies, with 6.8 percent and 8.3 percent of those in their 60s and 70s saying so, respectively.
In recent months, a cryptocurrency frenzy has swept South Korea as the country is home to one of the world's biggest private bitcoin exchanges, with more than 2 million people estimated to own some of the best-known digital currencies.