Overview
- Officials say seized Bitcoin disappeared from custody during standard inspections of confiscated assets tied to a criminal case.
- Local reports and internal accounts estimate the loss at roughly 70 billion won, or about $48–49 million, though the office has not confirmed the exact amount.
- Preliminary findings point to a phishing incident in which an employee visited a fraudulent site that harvested passwords kept on USB drives.
- Prosecutors are tracing the funds and circumstances but have declined to disclose timing or operational details, and recovery is considered difficult once keys are compromised.
- A recent Supreme Court ruling affirmed that exchange‑held crypto is seizable property, highlighting rising enforcement activity and custody risks for state‑held digital assets.