On December 3, South Korea witnessed a historic surge in cryptocurrency trading as the nation dealt with the declaration of martial law. Trading volumes in the Korean virtual asset market skyrocketed to approximately $34.6 billion within 24 hours, marking the highest recorded level of the year. XRP Drives Record Trading Volume According to local reports...Read More
South Korean investigators revealed that the 2019 Upbit cryptocurrency heist, which resulted in the theft of $50 million worth of ETH, was carried out by North Korean hacking groups Lazarus and Andariel, linked to the Reconnaissance General Bureau, which happens to be DPRK’s premiere intelligence organization. Upbit, one of South Korea’s leading crypto exchanges, first...Read More
South Korean authorities have arrested 215 individuals in connection with a massive cryptocurrency investment scam worth an estimated 325.6 billion won – around $232 million. The arrests, led by the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police, involve employees of a fraudulent investment consulting firm and its founder, who happens...Read More
Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Byung-hwan said he would “look into it” regarding the market domination of the country’s leading crypto exchange Upbit. In a national assembly meeting, legislator Lee Kang-il raised issues about Upbit’s dominance and its close partnership with the local bank, K-Bank. The online banking firm holds a significant portion of Upbit’s...Read More
South Korea’s Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced on October 8 that it is reviewing measures to regulate stablecoins more strictly. This decision comes amidst increasing criticism that stablecoins are emerging as a hidden threat in the foreign exchange landscape due to inadequate government oversight. Rising Cross-Border Use and Industry Criticism According to local media...Read More
South Korean crypto exchange giant Bithumb is reportedly exploring the possibility of listing on the US NASDAQ, as discussed during a shareholder meeting on Monday. The company has indicated that it is open to considering “all possibilities” regarding where to launch its initial public offering (IPO). Bithumb Looks Beyond KOSDAQ Korea Economic Daily revealed the latest...Read More
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Financial Crimes Investigation Unit has reportedly apprehended 14 individuals involved in a $12.8 million (16 billion won) crypto mining scam. The operation’s ringleader, a man in his 40s identified only by his surname Lee, went to extraordinary lengths, including undergoing plastic surgery, to avoid detection by law enforcement. Mastermind Had...Read More
The National Pension Service (NPS) of South Korea purchased nearly $34 million in MicroStrategy (MSTR) shares during the second quarter of 2024. With significant investments in other crypto companies, NPS – which happens to be the world’s third-largest pension fund by assets – has demonstrated a clear expansion of its interest in the digital assets...Read More
A lengthy court battle to extradite a disgraced crypto mogul, Do Kwon, has seemingly come to a close following a court ruling Thursday. The Appellate Court of Montenegro ruled that Kwon – founder of the defunct Terra blockchain – will be sent to South Korea for prosecution. Do Kwon Set For South Korea The latest...Read More
The Bitcoin kimchi premium in South Korea has plummeted significantly amid a broader market decline, signifying weakened enthusiasm among digital asset investors in the country. According to data from CryptoQuant, the Bitcoin kimchi premium slumped to 1.5% on Friday during the afternoon trading session in Asia. Bitcoin Kimchi Premium Slumps For the uninitiated, the kimchi...Read More
Upbit, a cryptocurrency platform based in South Korea, is responsible for over 80% of the country’s trading activity and has become among the world’s leading five exchanges in terms of trading volume. According to a Bloomberg report, Upbit’s customers were responsible for nearly a fifth of the total deposits from its major banking partners last...Read More
The Korean crypto markets have recently experienced a surge in trade volume, reaching heights not seen in over two years. According to a report from Kaiko, the first quarter of 2024 marked an important milestone as the South Korean Won (KRW) surpassed the U.S. Dollar (USD) in terms of cumulative trade volume. Competition and Shifting...Read More
Bithumb Korea’s fiscal performance for the year 2023 took a significant hit as it remained unfazed by the improvement in the trading volume that the platform witnessed throughout the year. With a more than 57% decline in annual revenue, dropping from 3.201 billion Korean won in 2022 to 1.358 billion won in 2023, Bithumb’s disappointing...Read More
Crypto crimes are on the rise across the world, especially with the market-wide boom. Elderly individuals, for one, are one of the most targeted groups, preyed on by fraudsters who convince them through different means to exchange their funds for crypto while promising substantial investment gains. This has prompted authorities to intensify their crackdown. In the...Read More
After a series of back-and-forths regarding Do Kwon’s extradition, it appears that the Terraform Labs co-founder and former CEO may finally be handed over to South Korean authorities after the Appellate Court of Montenegro confirmed a previous decision to extradite him to his native country. Terraform Labs’ Chief Executive Officer, who was arrested in March...Read More
The United States government is set to continue its fight for the extradition of Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon to the country after a Montenegrin court ordered the deportation of the crypto mogul to his home nation, South Korea. According to a Bloomberg report, prosecutors in the U.S. are hellbent on making Kwon face charges...Read More
The National Police Agency of South Korea is calling for help with extraditing Do Kwon shortly after a Montenegro court refused to send him to the United States. Per a report from local outlet Newsis, the agency sent a telegram to the Secretariat of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) on Thursday. “We hope for...Read More
South Korea’s Bitcoin kimchi premium has soared to levels last in 2021 amid Bitcoin’s latest rally that resulted in a new all-time high. Data from CryptoQuant shows that the premium index reached a 27-month high of 10.32% on March 6, indicating surging demand and growing interest in BTC among local investors in the South Korean...Read More
In 2023, Gyeonggi Province, the most populous province in South Korea, collected millions of dollars from tax evaders by tracking their crypto assets on several centralized exchanges. According to a report by local media Yonhap News Agency, the Gyeonggi Tax Justice Department accrued 6.2 billion won ($4.67 million) in undeclared taxes from evaders by using...Read More
With spot Bitcoin ETFs being all the rage, South Korea’s opposing party has a new trick in hand to garner support from the masses ahead of the general election on April 10. According to reports from local news media on Tuesday, the Democratic Party of South Korea is advocating for allowing local citizens to invest...Read More
South Korea’s ruling People Power Party is reportedly advocating for a further two-year taxation postponement on cryptocurrency investment gains, which appears to be part of the party’s campaign for the general election coming in April. Notably, the program was scheduled earlier for 2023 and rescheduled to January 2025, and the current People Power Party request...Read More
South Korea has witnessed a surge in crypto trading, particularly following a market recovery. Correspondingly, authorities in the country received almost 49% more alerts of potentially suspicious transactions from crypto service providers in 2023 compared to the previous year. A paper from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) revealed that South Korea logged 16,076 instances of...Read More
South Korea’s crypto landscape was dominated by Upbit for the longest time. However, there seems to be a shift underway as Bithumb gains momentum, gradually capturing Upbit’s market dominance. The latest development surfaces amid intensifying crypto trading activity in South Korea, particularly with the surge in Bitcoin trading. Bithumb’s Market Share Peaks at 72% Crypto...Read More
The South Korean government is taking extra steps to ensure the protection of crypto investors from unfair market activities and criminals by imposing higher fines and punishments for violations of certain provisions. According to a press release, crypto criminals face jail terms of more than a year or a fine equal to three to five...Read More
South Korean prosecutors revealed on Monday that they had apprehended and placed under custody three executives, including its two co-chief executive officers, from the crypto yield platform Haru Invest. The trio is facing accusations from Seoul prosecutors of embezzling about 1.1 trillion Korean won, which translates to roughly $826 million in crypto, from around 16,000...Read More
Speculation about the South Korean government rethinking its hostile stance on spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) may be true, as the country’s financial regulator has officially indicated interest in the products. A report from local media outlet Hankyung has revealed that the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) of South Korea intends to meet with the United States Securities...Read More
In the last month, there has been a notable increase in crypto trading in South Korea. Kaiko’s latest analysis reveals a substantial surge in Bithumb’s Bitcoin volume, even though zero-fee trading was introduced several months ago. The trading volume of the flagship crypto asset on the platform appears to be approaching a whopping $3 billion....Read More
Following its initial hostile outlook on the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), the South Korean government may be giving a second thought to its stance on the financial product. This movement is driven by comments from Sung Tae-yoon, the recently appointed South Korean Presidential Chief of Staff, and an analysis from the Industrial Bank of...Read More
Hashed – South Korea’s leading crypto venture – has defied the challenges of the crypto winter, investing a massive $28.44 million (36.8 billion won) in blockchain projects this year. The long crypto winter has failed to deter Hashed which has not only weathered the storm but has expanded its footprint in blockchain infrastructure and gaming...Read More
South Korea has taken a significant step towards increasing transparency and integrity within its public sector. Starting next year, high-ranking public officials will be required to disclose their cryptocurrency holdings under a new legislation announced by the country’s Ministry of Personnel Management. New Bill to Advance Transparency in the Public Sector Under the new legislation,...Read More
