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South Korea’s FIU Readies Next Sanctions on Crypto Exchanges After Upbit Fine

Cases move from inspections to legal review with penalties expected in the order platforms were examined.

Overview

  • The FIU has finished on-site AML reviews of Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and GOPAX and has shifted cases to legal review and a sanctions committee.
  • Dunamu, Upbit’s operator, previously received a 35.2 billion won fine and a three-month halt on new deposits and withdrawals for compliance failures.
  • Sanctions will be handed down in the order exchanges were inspected, with local reports indicating Korbit is next in line.
  • Regulators expect to finalize remaining decisions by the first half of 2026 after sequential rulings.
  • Authorities have reinforced the crackdown by blocking at least 14 unregistered foreign platforms, including KuCoin, and by tightening other crypto services.