South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb is escalating legal efforts to recover seven Bitcoins wrongly distributed to retail users in February due to a staff error.
Bithumb Pursues Legal Action over Erroneous Bitcoin Giveaway: Chosun Biz
10 April 2026 - 08:59 CEST
An employee mistakenly entered "Bitcoin" instead of "Korean won" as the reward currency during a promotional campaign, triggering an accidental payout initially valued at more than $40bn at the time of the glitch. The exchange, South Korea’s second-largest crypto platform, managed to reclaim 99.7% of the erroneous distribution. Yet, a handful of recipients has refused to return the funds, citing the company’s mistake as justification.
According to a 9 Apr report by Chosun Biz, Bithumb has now filed for provisional attachment orders. These court measures temporarily freeze recipients’ assets to prevent disposal or concealment before formal lawsuits begin. The exchange has urged voluntary returns, but faces resistance from users who argue they should not bear the cost of the platform’s operational failure.
