Bithumb's 620,000 BTC Payout Error Prompts Tougher Crypto Rules in South Korea

On February 6, 2026, Bithumb mistakenly distributed about 620,000 BTC as promotional rewards, crediting some users with roughly 2,000 BTC instead of a 2,000 won bonus. The incident triggered a brief sell-off and led South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service to push for stricter penalties for IT failures, clearer executive liability, AI-based market surveillance, and accelerated work on the next phase of the Digital Asset Basic Act.