South Korea

A South Korean investor who claims to have lost US$2.4 million in the Terra ecosystem collapse earlier this month has been arrested after knocking on Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon’s door and attempting to speak to him about the loss.

Despite not technically trespassing on Kwon’s property, the investor is believed to have broken South Korean law by trying to approach Kwon and will likely face a fine.

Lack of Public Statements Prompted Personal Visit

The investor, a social media personality known as ‘Chancers’, says he was distressed after suddenly losing three billion won (US$2.4 million) in the catastrophic collapse of Terra, after the Terra-based stablecoin UST lost its peg to the US dollar.

I felt like I was going to die. I lost a lot of money in a short period of time. Around $2.4m of my cryptocurrency was wiped out.
Chancers, aggrieved LUNA investor

This combined with virtual silence from anyone involved with Terra regarding the state of the network drove Chancers to attempt to speak with Do Kwon directly.

After finding Kwon’s address online, Chancers travelled across Seoul to confront him in person, while live-streaming to about 100 viewers. Explaining the intention of his visit, Chancers said: “I wanted to ask him about his plans for LUNA; I suffered a huge loss and wanted to talk to him directly.”

Wife Calls Police, Investor Turns Himself In

When Chancers arrived at Kwon’s property, he was greeted by Kwon’s wife who said Kwon wasn’t home and called the police.

The following day Chancers found out police were searching for him and on May 13 he turned himself in to the local station. Despite the fact he didn’t trespass on or damage any property, Chancers now expects to be charged and faces a fine and a criminal record.

“It’s so hard,” Chancers lamented. “I lost a lot of money and now I’m being investigated by the police. I originally served as a civil servant in Korea. But if I am convicted of this case, I may not be able to return to the civil service again.”

Other affected LUNA investors rallied to support Chancers on Twitter, and at least one of them offered some sage advice – albeit in hindsight:

I lost some cash in Luna as well but u Shouldn’t put all the eggs in one basket , and only invest money u r willing to risk . It’s messed up though losing 2.4 mil hope he bouncers back .
— rigel gunaratna (@rigel2105) May 25, 2022

In welcome news, South Korean authorities are also investigating the collapse of Terra to see if any crimes were committed in the lead-up, something many investors will be very interested to know.

Crypto Plays Important Role in Close Result

Yoon Suk-yeol, who only came to politics in 2021 having previously worked as a high profile prosecutor, was the candidate for the conservative opposition party, People Power Party. His victory was not clear-cut, with the final margin being under 1 percent, reflecting how contentious politics has become in South Korea recently.

Suk-yeol ran on a platform promising to deregulate digital asset markets, lower taxes on crypto and reimburse victims of crypto fraud, in addition to tackling the stagnating South Korean economy and soaring housing prices.

New Direction for Crypto in South Korea

The previous South Korean president, Moon Jae-In, had been relatively anti-crypto, cracking down on South Korean-based exchanges in 2021 and forcing the vast majority of them to shut down.

The new president has taken a forward-looking approach to crypto, vowing to take what he characterises as a more realistic regulatory stance:

To realise the unlimited potential of the virtual asset market, we must overhaul regulations that are far from reality and unreasonable.

Newly elected South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol

Crypto Becoming More Politically Relevant

In a sign of its growing political significance, crypto was used by both major parties to appeal to younger demographics. In addition to offering crypto-friendly policies, the candidates from both major parties minted election-related NFTs to demonstrate their crypto bonafides during the campaign.

Following the executive order released by US President Biden this week, this election in South Korea may signal the beginning of a trend towards increased regulatory clarity and adoption for cryptocurrencies globally.