South Korean court lifts Bithumb's six-month partial suspension

A Seoul Administrative Court has overturned a six-month partial business suspension imposed on Bithumb, one of South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, in what had been the toughest sanction ever issued against a won-denominated platform. Judge Gong Hyeonjin granted a stay, warning of potential "irreparable harm" if the exchange's core operations remained restricted. South Korea's Financial Intelligence Unit had accused Bithumb of 6.65 million anti-money-laundering violations and ordered a $24.6 million fine, though it remains unclear whether the penalty is still in effect. The ruling allows Bithumb to continue onboarding users and processing transfers while the underlying case moves forward, signaling courts may scrutinize broad crypto enforcement measures more closely.