South Korea

The highly anticipated South Korean film Crypto Man inspired by real events surrounding a $50 billion Won cryptocurrency crash is set to hit theatres in Jan 2025.

South Korea's political crisis, sparked by President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration and impeachment calls, is disrupting key tech initiatives, including the AI Basic Act and national AI strategy. This uncertainty threatens the country’s ability to lead in AI, attract global investment, and advance crucial technological reforms.

Crypto prices plummeted briefly after President Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law declaration, but has been quickly overturned by unanimous legislative opposition. Could this mark the downfall of his leadership?

Five South Korean fugitives were arrested in Muntinlupa for a $2.9 million cryptocurrency scam, while a sixth was caught in Pasay for larceny. Separately, an Indonesian drug courier was denied entry at NAIA and sent back to Bangkok.

Toei Animation has teamed up with Wemade to create DenDenGarden, a blockchain-based game featuring NFTs from the DenDekaDen series. The game aims to expand into global markets, including Japan, Southeast Asia, and North America, with hopes of tapping into the growing blockchain gaming trend.

South Korean prosecutors seized over $9.3 million in Bitcoin from a convicted scam operator who targeted elderly citizens and North Korean defectors. Despite his conviction, the scammer showed no remorse, stating he “did not regret” his actions if it benefited his family.

South Korea's financial regulator is urging tighter oversight of the volatile cryptocurrency market, which recently surpassed the stock market in transaction volume. Authorities also confirmed North Korean hackers stole significant cryptocurrency in 2019, intensifying concerns about security and market manipulation.

Korea's first AI-powered drama, "Kiss Lighting – Ghost Cupid," uses AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney for scriptwriting and visuals, offering a cost-effective and innovative approach to production. AI is making content creation more accessible, though challenges remain in maintaining audience engagement and addressing legal concerns over ownership and copyright.

Upbit refunded 8.5 billion won to 380 voice phishing victims, reinforcing its commitment to user security. Authorities have also linked North Korea's Lazarus Group to the 2019 Ethereum theft of $1.4 billion. In response to rising crypto crimes, Upbit and law enforcement are ramping up their collaboration to safeguard the digital finance space.

South Korean authorities have linked the 2019 Upbit exchange hack to North Korea, with over $1 billion worth of stolen ether. The investigation, aided by the FBI and Swiss authorities, traced the stolen funds, recovering some of the assets.