Bithumb Wins Court Case to Recover Mistakenly Credited Bitcoin Worth 194 Million Won

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb has won a first instance court ruling ordering a user to repay roughly 194 million won after the individual sold Bitcoin that had been mistakenly credited to their account. The error stemmed from a promotional event held in February, when the exchange’s internal system accidentally credited 620,000 BTC instead of the intended 620,000 won, a discrepancy that created significant confusion in the exchange’s ledger and briefly rattled the broader market.

First of Several Pending Cases

This ruling marks the first of four related civil cases stemming from the incident, with additional appeals and decisions still expected. The case highlights the legal and operational risks exchanges face when technical errors lead to unintended asset transfers, especially when users act on the mistaken credit before it can be corrected.

Bithumb is Korea’s No. 4 largest exchange by volume according to CoinGecko data.

Regulators Respond With Tighter Oversight

Following the incident, South Korean regulators introduced stricter requirements for crypto exchanges, including more frequent ledger reconciliations aimed at catching similar errors before they escalate. Regulatory reviews connected to the case remain ongoing as authorities continue examining how the mistake occurred and what safeguards should be standard practice going forward.