South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb has reportedly announced a ban on foreigners who have not completed phone-based Know Your Customer (KYC) verification. According to local coverage by Pulse, non-Koreans using the Bithumb crypto exchange will be subject to mandatory mobile verification. While the rule is reportedly set to go into effect this year, the exact date for the new KYC requirement is yet to be announced. Citing Bithumb’s notice, The Korean Herald reported: “Foreigners residing in Korea who cannot process identification with mobile phones cannot use the service.” Bithumb’s move for stricter KYC requirements comes in line with the country’s …
Bithumb’s Hong Kong affiliates are reportedly facing a civil suit for breach of contract. According to a Tuesday report by the Korea Times, the suit is being initiated by a former Bithumb partner in Thailand, which is accusing the South Korean-headquartered exchange of unilaterally halting its business in Thailand and causing major losses. The Thai firm — which remains unnamed — is reportedly preparing to file a lawsuit against Bithumb’s Hong Kong subsidiaries, including Bithumb Global Holdings and GBEX, as well as top company executives in July. According to the plaintiff firm, Bithumb’s Hong Kong-based entities were allegedly involved in …
A judge in the Seoul Central District Court dismissed two claims filed by individuals against the controversial crypto exchange, Bithumb. The individuals were seeking $126,000 and $38,000 respectively for damages related to a data breach incident back in 2017. According to Fn News, plaintiffs Hong and Seo (both named only by their surname) stated that they had lost money due to a phishing attack using private data that was extracted in a hack of Bithumb. The third claimant, Jang, was granted $5,000 to cover his total loss. This amount reflects a much lower dollar value than his initial $27,200 claim. …
Lee Jung-hoon, the former chair of the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb, was found not guilty on Jan. 3 by the 34th Division of the Criminal Agreement of the Seoul Central District Court. Jung-Hoon was on trial under accusations of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment Of Specific Economic Crimes due to fraud. The case has been ongoing since October 2018, when the former chairman allegedly defrauded 100 billion won ($70 million) during negotiations for the acquisition of Bithumb from Kim Byung-gun, chairman of the cosmetic surgery company BK Group. Jung-hoon could’ve faced an 8-year sentence had he been …
The ongoing saga of the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb continues, this time with ruling from local courts. On Jan. 13 the South Korean Supreme Court finalized its ruling that the exchange must pay damages to investors over a 1.5-hour service outage on Nov. 12, 2017. According to a local news source, the damages are equivalent to $202, 400 - or 251.4 million in the regional currency won. Initially, a district ruled against the investors, though it was later overturned. The finalized ruling from the Supreme Court ordered damages to be paid ranging from as little as $6 to around …