Inside the South Korean Prosecutorial Agency's Hundreds of Billion Won Bitcoin Theft Incident

SignatureVerifier · 2026-01-22T09:48:13+00:00

The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office in South Korea has discovered a large amount of Bitcoin mysteriously missing in connection with a criminal case, with losses totaling approximately 70 billion KRW. The issue stems from storing Bitcoin passwords and private keys on mobile devices, which may have been compromised due to accidental visits to scam websites. The prosecutors are conducting an internal investigation, and this incident highlights the vulnerabilities of traditional institutions in managing digital assets.

SignatureVerifier

2026-01-22 09:48:13

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【BitPush】Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office in South Korea has encountered a serious asset management crisis. During a recent routine inspection, they discovered that a large amount of Bitcoin related to criminal cases mysteriously went missing. According to internal rumors, the lost amount is approximately 70 billion Korean Won, about $48 million USD, and this loss is enough to alert the entire judicial system.

The issue stems from a detail—prosecutors stored Bitcoin-related passwords and private key information on portable storage devices. During the routine check, they may have accidentally visited a so-called scam website, leading to this tragedy. This not only exposes the weaknesses of traditional institutions in digital asset management but also prompts a rethinking of the secure storage of high-value encrypted assets.

Currently, the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office’s official statement is “unable to confirm,” and they are proceeding with a cautious attitude. However, they have initiated an internal investigation to clarify the details of the incident. This event once again reminds us that regardless of the size or background of an institution, extreme caution is required when dealing with digital assets.

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MetaMuskRat

· 01-23 13:19

$48 million just gone like that? Is the prosecution playing cybersecurity or just joking? Storing private keys on a USB drive... how unprofessional is that? A typical traditional institution's outcome when dealing with encryption. The Korean judicial system's move here is more of a scam than a scammer themselves. Unable to confirm? 🤐 I think it's really impossible to confirm this time. That's why I never trust centralized institutions to hold crypto assets. Isn't self-custody more reliable? The story from Gwangju Prosecutor's Office is a textbook-level security incident. Storing private keys on portable storage? I'm already worried for them... Managing keys this way? No wonder they got exploited. This incident says it all: old-school institutions are still too inexperienced when it comes to Web3.

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GasOptimizer

· 01-22 10:18

Haha, this is really outrageous. The prosecution agency put the private key on a USB drive? Isn't this inviting trouble for themselves? The official says "unable to confirm," who would believe that? It must have been lost for sure. $48 million just gone like that, how embarrassing. This is what happens when "traditional institutions go online," hilarious. Even basic private key management can go wrong, South Korean prosecutors are unbelievable. Scam website? How are people still falling for it... they must be so unprofessional. If this had been on the blockchain, it would have been figured out long ago. Truly speechless. As a kid, I was tricked out of my game accounts; now government agencies are tricked by USB drives. Society... Wait, 70 billion KRW just lost a USB drive? Where are the security measures, brother? This move definitely serves as a negative lesson for centralized institutions.

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FallingLeaf

· 01-22 10:17

Huh? The prosecution stored the private key on a mobile device... how outrageous is that? --- $48 million just gone like that, and they still say "unable to confirm," hilarious --- Traditional institutions dealing with crypto assets are just like this, one scam website and everything is gone --- Storing the private key on a USB drive is really reckless, who thought of that? --- No wonder people still don't trust institutions to manage crypto assets --- 700 billion won lost just like that, an internal investigation probably won't find anything --- If this happened in our circle, it would have been chilled long ago. The prosecution's move is a bit amateurish

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ser_ngmi

· 01-22 10:10

Huh? Storing private keys directly on mobile devices, how outrageous is that... --- $48 million just gone like that, government agencies' phishing prevention capabilities are even worse than my grandma's --- Wait, they say they can't confirm? Then it must be really lost --- That's why I say centralized institutions managing crypto are a disaster, hilarious --- No wonder they want to keep it secret, this face slap hurts a bit --- Storing private keys on a USB drive and accidentally clicking on a phishing link... I give this operation a full score --- Over 40 million USD, Koreans took a huge loss this time... can an internal investigation find anything? --- So this is the so-called "judicial department-level operational mistake"? --- I just want to ask, who will ultimately take the fall for this?

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retroactive_airdrop

· 01-22 09:49

Is the private key stored on a USB drive? This is a textbook case of what not to do... $48 million is gone just like that, that operation is brilliant The Korean prosecution is truly giving themselves a lesson here The security awareness at Gwangju Prosecutor's Office is still stuck in web2, brother Another old trick with scam websites, how are people still falling for it? Really, traditional institutions just crumble when it comes to crypto Having the private key on a mobile device, I would have been liquidated long ago So self-custody is the way to go, trusting others is pointless Even prosecutors can be phished, ordinary people need to be more careful A single misclick, and $48 million is gone, the cost is a bit high

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