South Korea’s largest crypto exchange, Upbit, has reported a $36 million exploit on the Solana network, a breach that unfolded with unsettling precision on November 27 — the exact date the platform suffered its notorious 2019 hack, when 342,000 ETH were siphoned by North Korea’s Lazarus Group.

South Korea’s biggest crypto exchange is set to be folded into one of the nation’s most powerful tech and payments companies, in a multibillion-dollar merger that places stablecoins at the center of Korea’s next major fintech battleground.

Naver plans to acquire Dunamu, the operator of South Korea’s largest crypto exchange Upbit, through a stock swap, making Dunamu a wholly owned subsidiary. The merger could create a single digital finance platform combining payments, crypto trading, and blockchain services, while Dunamu’s management becomes the dominant voice in the combined company.

South Korean regulators fined Upbit operator Dunamu ₩35.2 billion for failing to follow anti-money laundering and customer verification laws. Officials said the company recorded over eight million identification breaches, making it one of the country’s biggest penalties against a crypto firm.

South Korea’s crypto market is facing a seismic shift — and it has a name: Upbit. The exchange has tightened its grip so dramatically that smaller players are gasping for air, with analysts warning that Korea’s once-competitive crypto ecosystem could be heading toward an irreversible monopoly.

Incheon is making global headlines as the first city in the world to confiscate cryptocurrency from residents who fall behind on their water bills — a radical enforcement measure that signals a new era in how governments leverage blockchain transparency.

Upbit, South Korea’s largest crypto exchange by volume, has officially unveiled plans for its proprietary Ethereum Layer-2 network, GIWA, a major leap beyond pure exchange operations and a clear signal that Korean Web3 infrastructure ambitions are heating up.

World Vision Korea became the first organisation in South Korea to legally sell cryptocurrency after new rules took effect on 1 June. The NGO sold Ethereum donated by users on Upbit, marking the start of legal crypto trading for nonprofits and other approved groups.

Upbit and Bithumb halted SNX deposits after DAXA flagged risks tied to sUSD’s broken dollar peg. Amid growing concern over Synthetix’s collateral model, the founder urged stakers to adopt a new framework, warning of possible tougher measures.

The Busan District Court sentenced the leader of a $416K crypto fraud to 4.5 years in prison, with shorter terms for his two accomplices. They deceived investors with false claims of a 30% monthly return algorithm, exploiting their crypto ignorance.