South Korean police lose Bitcoin seized and stored in cold wallets since 2021

BTC0,44%

PANews February 13 News, according to The Block, the Seoul Gangnam Police Department recently discovered during an internal investigation that 22 bitcoins (currently valued at approximately $1.5 million) seized in November 2021 had been transferred from a USB cold wallet. As the related investigation has been paused, the asset loss went unnoticed for a long time. The involved USB device itself was not stolen. The Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Department has initiated an internal investigation to determine the details of the fund loss and whether any internal personnel were involved. The police declined to provide further details about the ongoing investigation.

This discovery follows a nationwide special inspection of seized assets initiated after the recent loss of 320 seized bitcoins by the Gwangju District Prosecutor’s Office. Local media reported that the Gwangju prosecutors’ evidence management personnel mistakenly logged a phishing website, leading to the theft of the seized bitcoins.

Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to Disclaimer.

Related Articles

Bitcoin's $1.3 trillion security race: Key initiatives aimed at quantum-proofing the world's largest blockchain

Quantum computers capable of breaking the Bitcoin blockchain do not exist today. Developers, however, are already considering a wave of upgrades to build defenses against the potential threat, and rightfully so, as the threat is no longer hypothetical. This week, Google published research

CoinDesk5m ago

Michael Saylor calls BIP-110 Bitcoin’s largest self-inflicted risk

Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor believes that Bitcoin (BTC) has gained overwhelming dominance in the global “media war.” However, he also warns that changes at the protocol level—especially the proposed BIP-110—could become the biggest remaining risk to the network

TapChiBitcoin9m ago

Here's what 'cracking' bitcoin in 9 minutes by quantum computers actually means

Google's Quantum AI team said earlier this week that a future quantum computer could derive a bitcoin private key from a public key in roughly nine minutes. The number ricocheted across social media and spooked markets. But, what does it actually mean in practice? Let's start with how bitcoin

CoinDesk1h ago

Data: Within two months after a major shock, Bitcoin’s performance has broadly outperformed gold and the S&P 500 index

Gate News message, April 5, according to data, within the two months after major global shock events, Bitcoin generally performed better than gold and the S&P 500 index (a U.S. stock market benchmark index). In specific data, after the Trump administration announced large-scale tariff measures in April 2025, Bitcoin rose 24% in the following 60 days, gold rose 8%, and the S&P 500 rose 4%. In early March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Bitcoin also rose 21%, outperforming gold and the S&P 500 index.

GateNews3h ago

Bitcoin shorts risk $2.5 billion liquidation at $72K: Are bears in danger?

Key takeaways: Bitcoin hitting $72,000 would liquidate $2.5 billion in shorts, potentially crushing bears who are overleveraged. Iran's war and high oil prices currently pressure BTC, but a ceasefire or ETF inflows could spark a rapid recovery. $2.5 billion in shorts at risk if BTC

Cointelegraph3h ago

Charles Schwab will pilot direct trading services for Bitcoin and Ethereum in the second quarter

Charles Schwab Wealth Management announced that its subsidiary will provide direct trading services for Bitcoin and Ethereum via Schwab Crypto accounts, with plans to test and launch in 2026. A waiting list is now open, but external cryptocurrency deposits or withdrawals are not supported.

GateNews3h ago
Comment
0/400
No comments