A South Korean town near Seoul has been successfully operating a pilot program that allows police to seize crypto from the exchange accounts of individuals with delinquent traffic fines. Gunpo, a city of about 275,000 in the northwestern Gyeonggi province was selected by the national government to execute the pilot program in 2022 which an Aug. 16 report from the JoongBoo Ilbo news outlet stated was a way to collect delinquent funds in an “untact," or contactless fashion. The program appears to have been successful, at least in the first half of 2022, with Gunpo police achieving an 88% collection …

Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon has reportedly hired a lawyer from a domestic law firm in South Korea just days after claiming the South Korean authorities are yet to reach out to him or file any charges against him. According to a local media report, Kwon recently submitted a letter of appointment to an attorney at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, the department that is currently investigating the Terra-LUNA collapse. While Kwon claims no charges were filed against him, prosecutors in South Korea behind the investigation of Terraform Labs reportedly executed a search and seizure in 15 firms in …

Terraform Labs, the parent company behind the collapsed Terra ecosystem, is currently under multiple investigations from the South Korean authorities. The latest investigation revolves around the alleged embezzlement of Bitcoin (BTC) from the company’s treasury. According to a report published in a local daily, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency received an intelligence tip last month informing them of possible embezzlement of BTC by one of the employees of the firm. The police stated that the investigation into the alleged embezzlement of BTC from the company’s treasury had no direct connection with tainted co-founder Do Kwon, and they are investigating individual …

South Korea, a nation known for its strict crypto regulatory stance, is betting big on the Metaverse. The government will invest over 223.7 billion won ($177.1 million) directly in various Metaverse projects. The decision to invest in nascent Metaverse tech makes South Korea one of the first national governments to do so. The investment came under the "Digital New Deal" program set up to invest in emerging technologies. The program is headed by South Korea's Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology led by Lim Hyesook, who called the metaverse “an uncharted digital continent with indefinite potential,” indicating the …

South Korea's largest telecom and the third top conglomerate SK Group has invested $10 million in major global blockchain firm ConsenSys, according to a report by local news agency Chosun on July 2. Worth noting is the increased involvement of major South Korean companies into crypto industry, including Samsung, internet giant Kakao, Hyundai, among others. In the report, Chey Tae-won, chairman at SK Corporation and South Korean billionaire entrepreneur, has expressed interest in blockchain and token economy. Speaking at a tech startup event in Seoul, Chey argued that traditional business approaches “should be digitized.” The SK chairman also pointed out …

Busan, South Korea's second most-populous city after Seoul, is considering the launch of a local cryptocurrency, Korean tech news publication ETnews reports July 1. According to the report, Busan city authorities are seeking to develop a blockchain-based digital currency project in collaboration with BNK Busan Bank, a subsidiary of local holding company BNK Financial Group. Specifically, Busan is reportedly developing a crypto project in the form of stablecoin, a cryptocurrency pegged 1:1 to the local currency in the BNK Busan bank account. By issuing a local digital currency, Busan expects to revive the local economy, as well as to secure …

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in blockchain and fintech startups by 2022, according to the official announcement published on Feb. 18. According to the release, the South Korean capital’s government plans to use the “Seoul Innovation Growth Fund” for startups that have various investments problems with Series A funding rounds. The fund, launched last year, will primarily focus on startups related to blockchain and fintech industries. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announcement underlines that the average investment per company in London and Silicon Valley is approximately $6-7 million, while in Korea, it is …