Surge in suspicious virtual asset transactions in South Korea exceeds last year’s total in first eight months of 2025

In 2025, South Korea’s virtual asset service providers reported 36,684 suspicious transaction reports. This number surpasses that of the combined total from the previous two years, highlighting a troubling trend in virtual asset-related crimes.

During the same period, crimes associated with virtual assets totaled 9.56 trillion won, with over 90% attributed to underground banking practices. The increasing use of stablecoins like USDT for illegal transactions spurred authorities to enhance monitoring.