South Korea eyes KuCoin, BitMEX in crypto exchange crackdown

South Korean authorities are reportedly looking into blocking crypto speech platforms that whitethorn person operated without adhering to the requirements acceptable by the country’s fiscal regulator. 

On March 21, section media Hankyung reported that the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Financial Services Commission is considering sanctions against crypto exchanges for allegedly operating successful the state without reporting arsenic an relation to the due regulators. 

South Korean fiscal authorities necessitate crypto exchanges to study to regulators arsenic virtual plus work providers (VASPs) nether the country’s Specified Financial Information Act. 

The FIU is investigating a database of exchanges and is conducting consultations with related agencies. The regulator is besides considering sanctions, specified arsenic blocking entree to the exchanges, arsenic they statesman to hole countermeasures. 

Exchanges operated without VASP reports

The database of exchanges that person allegedly provided services to South Koreans without the due VASP reports includes BitMEX, KuCoin, CoinW, Bitunix and KCEX. The exchanges reportedly provided selling and lawsuit enactment to Korean investors without going done the country’s compliance process. 

Under the country’s laws, operators of crypto sales, storage, brokerage and absorption are required to study to the FIU. If exchanges don’t comply, their concern volition beryllium considered amerciable and taxable to transgression penalties and administrative sanctions. 

An FIU authoritative said successful the study that measures to artifact entree to the exchanges included successful the database are being reviewed. The authoritative said the fiscal regulator is presently consulting with the Korea Communications Standards Commission, the regulator successful complaint of the internet, connected however they tin artifact entree to the exchanges. 

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South Korean exchanges look scrutiny 

Apart from overseas exchanges, South Korean crypto exchanges are besides facing scrutiny implicit suspicions and rumors of fiscal misconduct. 

On March 20, prosecutors raided Bithumb pursuing suspicions that its erstwhile CEO, Kim Dae-sik, embezzled institution funds to acquisition an apartment. The authorities fishy that the speech and its enforcement whitethorn person violated immoderate fiscal laws during the flat purchase. However, Bithumb responded that Kim had already taken a indebtedness to repay the funds. 

In addition, rumors of intermediaries getting paid to database projects connected Bithumb and Upbit surfaced. Citing anonymous sources, Wu Blockchain said projects claimed to person paid intermediaries millions to get listed connected the exchanges. 

Upbit responded, demanding the media outlet to disclose the database of integer plus projects that paid brokerage fees. 

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