South Korean Crypto Exchange Mistakenly Sends $40 Billion in Bitcoin

On February 6, Bithumb experienced a critical error when an employee entered Bitcoin amounts instead of Korean won for a promotional event. Intended to distribute 620,000 won ($423) to 695 customers, the exchange inadvertently sent 620,000 Bitcoins ($40 billion).

Bithumb has corrected 99.7% of the errors by reversing internal ledger entries. However, the incident exposed vulnerabilities in the exchange's internal ledger systems, as noted by Lee Chan-jin of the FSS. The exchange is in talks with approximately 80 customers who cashed out the Bitcoins, seeking voluntary returns. Legal experts are divided on whether recipients who sold the crypto can face criminal prosecution, given a 2021 ruling that cryptocurrency is not considered 'property' under Korean criminal law.

Bithumb has apologized and is redesigning its asset payment process and enhancing internal controls to prevent future occurrences. They clarified that the incident was not due to external hacking or security breach.

A staff member mistakenly entered Bitcoin amounts instead of Korean won during a promotional event.

620,000 Bitcoins, worth approximately $40 billion.

Reversing internal ledger entries and engaging in one-on-one talks with customers who cashed out.

This incident highlights the importance of robust internal controls and the potential for significant errors in cryptocurrency exchanges. For users, it underscores the need to act responsibly and be aware of the legal implications when receiving unexpected large sums of cryptocurrency. Exchanges must enhance their systems to prevent such errors and protect user assets.

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