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The Ethereum Foundation recently released a summary report on the ETH Rangers security project, revealing that during a 6-month security funding program, researchers identified approximately 100 suspected state-sponsored cyber operatives, including infiltrators from North Korea, who have been active in multiple Web3 projects.The report indicates that relevant investigations were advanced through projects like the "Ketman Project," where researchers issued warnings to about 53 blockchain projects, revealing that these individuals infiltrated development teams under false identities and participated in fund flows and technical positions. Meanwhile, some related funds have been frozen, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The security team also incorporated relevant intelligence into the threat analysis system for the Lazarus Group and disclosed it at security conferences such as DEF CON, showing that state-level cyber attacks are continuously infiltrating the infrastructure of the cryptocurrency industry.In terms of overall results, the program has frozen or recovered over $5.8 million in funds, reported or documented over 785 vulnerabilities, and handled 36 security incidents, indicating that the security threats currently faced by the Ethereum ecosystem have escalated from simple vulnerability attacks to systemic risks involving state-level actors. Additionally, the report points out that North Korean hackers have also infiltrated projects through methods such as "remote IT workers," involving various attack paths such as account takeovers, freelancing platform infiltrations, and fund transfers, making them a key target for industry prevention.The Ethereum Foundation emphasizes that the security of decentralized networks requires "decentralized defense" and will continue to support security research, threat intelligence, and talent development to address the escalating state-level cyber threats.

According to Edaily, Kim Sang-hoon, the chairman of the Digital Assets Special Committee of the People Power Party of Korea, expressed concerns about the restrictions on equity in cryptocurrency exchanges at an academic conference. He called for the prioritization of advancing the basic law on digital assets related to stablecoins (Phase Two legislation) to avoid getting caught in equity regulatory disputes and missing the golden legislative opportunity.He pointed out that the reality of the issuance and circulation of the Korean won stablecoin KRWQ has emerged overseas, posing a severe challenge to monetary sovereignty. Kim Sang-hoon emphasized that the law should provide market predictability, offer clear guidance for operators, and establish effective safety mechanisms for users.

According to Cointelegraph, the Ethereum Foundation stated that its funded Ketman project identified 100 North Korean IT personnel lurking in Web3 organizations within six months and issued alerts to about 53 projects, indicating that they may have employed related personnel.The project focuses on the issue of "fake developers" in the cryptocurrency industry and is part of the ETH Rangers public safety funding program. Ketman also developed an open-source detection tool for identifying suspicious GitHub activity and collaborated with the Security Alliance to create an industry identification framework for recognizing North Korean IT personnel.

The South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance has selected a new pilot project for the use of blockchain digital currency under the regulatory sandbox framework in 2026. This project will explore the use of deposit tokens to execute business promotion expenses, aiming to test the application of blockchain technology in national financial operations.Currently, business promotion expenses in South Korea are mainly executed through government procurement cards, and additional explanations are required for use during restricted periods such as late at night or on weekends. Previously, payment methods were relatively singular due to the National Finance Management Act. The approval of this regulatory sandbox creates an exception for the use of deposit tokens. The ministry stated that by setting conditions such as predetermined spending times and industry categories, deposit tokens are expected to enhance execution transparency and alleviate the cost burden on small business owners by removing intermediaries in the payment flow.The Ministry of Economy and Finance plans to officially launch the pilot in the fourth quarter of 2026, with the first implementation site being Sejong City. In addition, South Korean regulators are simultaneously strengthening oversight of stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets, and automated trading.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance of South Korea announced that it will launch a pilot program for blockchain deposit tokens in Sejong City in the fourth quarter of 2026, to replace traditional government procurement card payments.The project has been approved under the 2026 regulatory sandbox program, allowing institutions to pay business promotion expenses in the form of tokenized deposits. Token payments can preset spending limits and available industry ranges, helping to reduce the need for manual audits and lowering transaction fees for small businesses by removing intermediaries such as card networks.This is the second application of deposit tokens in fiscal operations, following the completion of the first pilot in the electric vehicle charging infrastructure subsidy program. If the pilot proves effective, the Ministry of Finance of South Korea plans to further promote the program.

According to market news, South Korea is piloting blockchain deposit tokens for government spending.

The South Korean Ministry of Finance and Economy stated that the "blockchain-based digital currency for treasury fund execution pilot project" has been selected as a topic for the 2026 targeted regulatory sandbox. According to the pilot, the government department's business promotion fees will be changed from the current government procurement card to be issued and paid using blockchain-based deposit tokens.The South Korean government claims that this move is expected to enhance the transparency of fund usage by pre-setting usable time periods and industry scopes, and to reduce the fee burden on small merchants through a no-intermediary payment structure. The pilot program is set to officially launch in the fourth quarter of this year, starting in Sejong City, with plans to gradually expand its applicability thereafter.

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that Circle has expanded its collaboration with Upbit operator Dunamu to support the compliant adoption of digital assets and has enhanced its partnership with Bithumb to improve stablecoin infrastructure and raise market awareness of stablecoins.Jeremy Allaire mentioned that South Korea is rapidly advancing regulations on stablecoins and digital assets, with a high local cryptocurrency adoption rate. During his time in Seoul, he also met with representatives from KakaoGroup, Coinone, Hashed, Shinhan Bank, KB Financial Group, and Woori Bank.

According to DL News, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that the company currently has no plans to launch a won-pegged stablecoin, but is closely monitoring the progress of relevant legislation in South Korea and seeks to expand its business within the local compliance framework.If South Korea establishes a legal pathway that allows global companies to enter, Circle is willing to apply for a license and set up a local branch, while also providing technical support for Korean institutions to issue stablecoins.

The Web3 asset data platform RootData has outlined Upbit's business partners, which are relatively limited and mainly focused on areas such as blockchain infrastructure and compliance services. This is closely related to South Korea's unique and strict regulatory framework: under a system environment centered on real-name systems, VASP regulation, and anti-money laundering, exchanges are required to take greater responsibility for the flow of funds and user identities, making Upbit more inclined to develop its own systems and build localized capabilities rather than extensively introducing external partners.From the disclosed structure, on the technical side, infrastructure capabilities are strengthened through Lambda256, Aptos, and others; on the compliance level, service providers such as VerifyVASP, Chainalysis, and Crystal Intelligence are introduced; and supplementary funding and liquidity are provided through Circle and Naver Pay. Additionally, Upbit quickly built trading capabilities relying on its cooperation with Bittrex since its launch in 2017.On the branding side, Upbit has explored NFT entertainment collaborations with Hybe and has laid out plans in esports (LCK) and signed top players like Faker, while also becoming a primary partner of the Korean Sports Council. However, as the popularity of NFTs and the metaverse has declined, the influence of related entertainment collaborations has weakened. Related compilation: [Upbit Web3 Partner Network Compilation (continuously updated)](https://cn

According to monitoring by the cryptocurrency data agency Kaiko (@KaikoData), South Korea accounts for 30% of the global cryptocurrency trading volume, with altcoin trading making up as much as 85%, Bitcoin only accounting for 9%, and Ethereum at 6%, with a weekly trading volume of approximately $26 billion.In contrast, Japan's yen-denominated trading averages only between $2 billion and $3 billion per month, distributed across four exchanges, which is far less than South Korea. However, the depth of the Bitcoin market in Japan is 3 to 5 times that of South Korea, indicating that the liquidity quality in the Japanese market is superior.

The crypto wallet Zerion disclosed that North Korean hackers are using AI for long-term social engineering attacks, stealing approximately $100,000 from the company's hot wallet.Zerion confirmed that user funds, applications, and infrastructure were not affected, and has proactively disabled the web application as a precaution. Zerion also stated that the attackers obtained some session and credential information from team members who were logged in, as well as the private keys of the company's hot wallet, and pointed out that AI is changing the way cyber threats operate.

Ripple has partnered with Kyobo Life to launch a pilot project for tokenized government bonds, aiming to validate a blockchain-based government bond trading structure.The project issues and trades tokenized government bonds in a test network environment, achieving synchronized processing of trading and settlement, and utilizes stablecoins to test a 24-hour settlement mechanism to enhance trading speed and reduce settlement risk. The two parties have initiated technical feasibility testing starting from September 2024 and are assessing the stability of the entire process, including digital asset custody. At the same time, they are analyzing the regulatory environment in South Korea and studying the feasibility of integrating stablecoin settlements and tokenized bonds into the existing financial system. Ripple stated that this collaboration helps promote the establishment of institutional-level digital asset infrastructure in South Korea and supports its long-term strategic layout in the South Korean market.

The Jito Foundation has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Korean digital asset custodian KODA to explore providing institutional custody and staking support for JitoSOL in the Korean market.According to a Monday announcement, the agreement covers the promotion of institutional investors and the development of compliant custody and staking pathways. This move comes as the Korean Financial Services Commission is expected to finalize the digital asset regulatory framework later this year. In February, the Jito Foundation began exploring the launch of the JitoSOL ETF in Korea with Hanwha Asset Management, but it is still pending regulatory approval. KODA is supported by investors such as KB Kookmin Bank and holds a VASP license and ISMS certification, providing custody infrastructure such as cold storage and MPC key management.

According to The Block, South Korean payment service provider NHN KCP has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ava Labs to jointly build a Layer 1 network aimed at payment scenarios based on Ava Cloud, covering three main areas: sub-second payment confirmation, on-chain transaction data encryption, and customizable merchant payment infrastructure.The two parties will also explore business opportunities such as tokenized deposit models, multi-stablecoin settlement structures, and cross-border payments. Justin Kim, head of Ava Labs Asia, stated that the launch time of the L1 mainnet will largely depend on the progress of cryptocurrency regulatory regulations in South Korea.

According to DL News, several "revenge intermediary" organizations in South Korea that use cryptocurrency as a payment method have been active recently. These organizations take orders via Telegram, providing services such as intimidation, assaults, and even murders disguised as accidents, requiring clients to pay a 50% deposit in USDT, and promising to send action videos recorded by body cameras via Telegram.Although the main suspect was arrested on April 3, related online advertisements continued to be published on April 13. The South Korean police have launched investigations into over 50 related cases this year, arresting about 30 people, and determining that all cases involve cryptocurrency payments.

According to South Korean media Edaily, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of South Korea has determined that the cryptocurrency exchange Coinone violated obligations related to the Specific Financial Information Act after completing an on-site inspection. It decided to impose a partial business suspension for 3 months and a fine of approximately $3.56 million (5.2 billion won), with the suspension period from April 29 to July 28. During the suspension, new customers are restricted from external transfers of virtual assets (deposits and withdrawals), while existing customers can continue trading normally. In addition, the FIU issued a "warning reprimand" to Coinone's CEO, Cha Myung-hoon.The FIU stated that Coinone assisted 16 unregistered overseas virtual asset businesses in completing 10,113 asset transfer transactions in violation of regulations and failed to cooperate after regulatory authorities repeatedly requested to stop related transactions; there were approximately 40,000 violations in customer identity verification, including accepting documents that could not be verified for authenticity and reviewing customer address information that was incomplete; there were about 30,000 violations of trading restriction obligations, involving allowing transactions for users whose identity verification had not yet been completed. Coinone stated that it takes this sanction seriously and is advancing rectification, and whether to file an administrative lawsuit will be decided after careful consideration by the board of directors.

According to DigitalAsset, the Audit and Inspection Agency of South Korea has released the "Audit Report on the Operation and Management of the Elderly Welfare System," which requires the Minister of Health and Welfare to amend relevant regulations to include digital assets in the property calculation scope for basic pension reviews. The agency pointed out that digital assets have a clear economic value, but the current basic pension law does not include digital assets in its property scope, which may result in individuals holding significant digital assets still being eligible for basic pension benefits.The agency believes that digital assets should be regarded as property with clear economic value, even if their form differs from traditional financial assets, as the value of the property itself is not different. The Ministry of Health and Welfare agrees with this view, stating that it is necessary to prevent relatively high-income individuals in the lower 70% of non-income earners from receiving basic pensions, and agrees that digital assets should be included in the property calculation scope.

The Bank of Korea stated that after the mispayment incident at Bithumb, careful consideration should be given to introducing a "circuit breaker" mechanism in the cryptocurrency market similar to that in traditional financial markets, to address extreme market volatility and systemic risks.The Bank of Korea pointed out that as the scale of the cryptocurrency market expands and related risks increase, existing regulatory measures are insufficient to fully cover potential issues. Therefore, it is necessary to study the introduction of protective mechanisms that can automatically interrupt trading to enhance market stability and investor protection. Previously, Bithumb experienced abnormal payments of some users' assets due to a system failure, which attracted market attention.

According to a report by the Korea Herald, the nominee for the governor of the Bank of Korea, Shin Hyun-sung, stated in a written response during a personnel hearing at the National Assembly that central bank digital currency (CBDC) and commercial bank deposit tokens based on its issuance should become the core of the digital currency ecosystem. Shin Hyun-sung expressed basic support for the introduction of a Korean won stablecoin but emphasized that maintaining trust in the currency is the most important.Regarding the issuing entity of the Korean won stablecoin, he believes that South Korea is not a reserve currency country, and compliance capability is crucial. Therefore, he suggested prioritizing the issuance by a bank-centered alliance, allowing non-bank institutions to participate, and gradually expanding later. Shin Hyun-sung holds a cautious attitude towards the claim that stablecoins can enhance foreign exchange trading efficiency, believing that it is still unclear whether blockchain can comply with capital and foreign exchange regulations. He also stated that crypto assets, including stablecoins, have failed to meet the core functions of currency such as a measure of value, medium of exchange, and store of value, asserting that crypto assets cannot replace fiat currency.