ZCZC
BCN-31
SKOREA-MARKET-CRYPTOCURRENCY-BITCOIN
Hackers steal $30m from top Seoul bitcoin exchange
SEOUL, June 20, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Hackers stole more than $30 million
worth of cryptocurrencies from South Korea’s top bitcoin exchange, sending
the unit’s price falling around the world on Wednesday.
The virtual currency was priced at $6,442 dollars late afternoon in
Seoul, down about 4.4 percent from 24 hours earlier, after the latest attack
on Bithumb raised concerns over cryptocurrency security.
Hyper-wired South Korea has emerged as a hotbed of trading in virtual
units, at one point accounting for some 20 percent of global bitcoin
transactions — about 10 times the country’s share of the global economy.
Bithumb, which has more than 1 million customers, is the largest virtual
currency exchange in the South.
“It has been confirmed that virtual currencies worth 35 billion won ($32
million) was stolen through late night yesterday (Tuesday) to early morning
today,” the exchange said in a statement.
All deposits and withdrawals were suspended indefinitely to “ensure
security”, it said, adding the losses would be covered from the firm’s own
reserves.
It was the second major attack on South Korean virtual currency
exchanges in just 10 days, after hackers stole 40 billion won from Seoul-
based Coinrail, which suspended withdrawal and deposits services since then.
BSS/AFP/HR/1250