South Korea crypto volume slips 19.56% in a week

BitcoinWorld

South Korea crypto volume slips 19.56% in a week

Combined trading volume across South Korea’s five largest crypto exchanges fell to roughly 20.5 trillion won, or about $15.1 billion, in the week ending Oct. 2, a 19.56% decline from the previous week, according to Crypto.news, citing data from Digital Asset. The drop removed about 5 trillion won, or roughly $3.7 billion, from activity over the seven-day window that ended at 2 p.m. Korea Standard Time on Oct. 2.

South Korea’s five major exchanges traded about 20.5 trillion won in the week to Oct. 2, down 19.56% week over week. The weekly slide followed government data showing average daily exchange volume in the country fell 44% in the first half of 2026 and operating profit dropped 78%.

The figures cover Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Digital X and Gopax. Crypto.news reported that the source data did not tie the decline to any single cryptocurrency, exchange event or regulatory action, leaving the weekly numbers on their own unable to explain why traders pulled back.

Key facts

• Five-exchange volume for Sept. 25 to Oct. 2 totaled about 20.5 trillion won, or $15.1 billion, down 19.56% week over week.
• Upbit held 64.04% of trading, down 3.3 percentage points, while Bithumb rose 1.893 points to 26.66%.
• The Korea Financial Intelligence Unit surveyed 26 registered virtual asset service providers and reported that average daily exchange volume fell 44% in the first half of 2026 versus the prior six months, per Cointelegraph.
• Over the same period, exchange sales dropped 41% and operating profit dropped 78%, while the number of accounts eligible to trade edged up 0.4%.
• Of 673 distinct virtual assets circulating on Korean platforms, 93 were exchange-exclusive tokens with market capitalization of 100 million won or less, about 40% of that group.