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
CryptoQuant’s recent analysis points to an interesting trend in the crypto market, specifically the overheating of the Korean premium. The high values of the Korean premium are interpreted by the on-chain intelligence firm as a potential indicator of strong buying pressure from Korean retail investors. While a high Korean premium might be interpreted as a...Read More
South Korean law enforcement revealed that hackers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), also known as North Korea, impersonated government agencies and journalists in South Korea to steal crypto. The hackers were said to employ email phishing techniques to carry out the dubious act on unsuspecting victims. DPRK Hackers Reportedly Focused on Stealing...Read More
In a move to modernize its financial infrastructure, South Korea is set to embark on a pioneering project involving digital currency. Commencing in the fourth quarter of 2024, the nation will start a pilot program involving the participation of 100,000 citizens, signifying a significant stride towards the nationwide implementation of digital currencies. South Korea to...Read More
Traders in Asia, especially South Korea, have played a major role in driving the unexpected surge in digital asset market volume. Data from CCData reveals a significant rise in market share for South Korean-based exchanges. In November, their market share surged to 12.9%, a significant increase from the 5.2% recorded in January. This rise aligns...Read More
Bithumb is gearing up for its initial public offering (IPO). This comes weeks after the South Korean crypto exchange picked Samsung Securities as its underwriter, which is tasked with creating the prospectus, a legal document that furnishes comprehensive details about the initial public offering (IPO). Bithumb Eyes for IPO in 2025 According to a report...Read More
South Korea’s largest wireless carrier – SK Telecom – has announced signing a tripartite agreement with Aptos Labs and Atomrigs Labs. The latter serves as its technology partner. According to the official announcement on the LinkedIn post, the strategic partnership is expected to enhance SK Telecom’s affiliations with customer-preferred mainnets and decentralized applications(dApps). The focus...Read More
South Korea has emerged as a global hotspot for cryptocurrency investment in recent years, according to a recent survey, with six million crypto investors representing over 10% of the country’s total population. This phenomenon has reshaped the financial landscape and highlighted the dominance of centralized exchanges in the Korean crypto market. A Closer Look at...Read More
Sui Network – a layer 1 blockchain – has gained significant traction since its mainnet launch in May. However, South Korean regulators believe the developers lied about several aspects of the token. According to the latest report by a local news agency, the director of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSC) said that an investigation will...Read More
In spite of previous high-profile disappointments tied to the crypto industry, such as 3AC and the ill-fated investment into FTX, the Singaporean government has been approving quite a few crypto platforms during the past weeks. The latest to get the preliminary nod is the South Korean giant – UPbit. Spree Of Approvals Ripple, Coinbase, and...Read More
Upbit, a South Korean cryptocurrency exchange, faced over 159,000 hacking attempts during the first half of 2023, as reported by its operating company, Dunamu. This figure represents a significant surge, with a 117% rise compared to the same period in 2022 and an astounding 1,800% increase compared to the first half of 2020. Upbit is...Read More
Eastern Asia ranks as the fifth most active crypto market, contributing 8.8% of global digital asset activity between July 2022 and June 2023. Its decline over the last few years has been notable – largely propelled by the big blow to the Chinese trading activity and mining sector. Chainlysis’ latest analysis signals a potential tailwind...Read More
