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South Korea Extends Bithumb Probe, Widens Checks on Crypto Exchanges

An extended FSS investigation now tests Korea’s crypto oversight following Bithumb’s ledger error.

Overview

  • Bithumb’s promotion glitch credited about 2,000 BTC to hundreds of accounts, totaling roughly 620,000 BTC, and briefly distorted on-exchange prices as some recipients sold.
  • Regulators extended the Bithumb investigation through the end of February and folded prior mistaken payout cases into the review.
  • Authorities began parallel inspections of Upbit, Coinone, Korbit, and GOPAX to assess asset verification and internal controls, with DAXA preparing updates to self-regulatory standards.
  • Bithumb said it recovered around 99.7% of the erroneous credits, with about 125 BTC unrecovered and covered by company funds, and it issued compensation to affected users.
  • Lawmakers criticized regulatory lapses, while the FSC floated governance reforms such as limiting major shareholders’ stakes under the forthcoming Digital Asset Basic Act.