South Korean regulators have opened a full investigation into Bithumb after a staff mistake during a “random box” event on February 6, 2026 caused Bitcoin to be credited to user accounts instead of Korean won. Users who saw the unexpected balances quickly sold the assets, and the market recorded an intraday decline of about 17%.
Erroneous balances appeared inside Bithumb accounts
The Financial Supervisory Service, or FSS, said it expanded an initial on-site inspection into a broader probe after the incident. According to the regulator, Bithumb held around 42,000 BTC at the time, while the amount distributed by mistake was roughly 15 times larger. The discrepancy pointed to balances that were shown to users without matching asset backing.
Regulatory reviews found that Bithumb processed the transactions through an internal accounting system rather than a public blockchain. That setup allowed unsupported balances to appear in customer accounts by error. The issue was tied to internal bookkeeping, not a verified onchain transfer, and the effect reached the market quickly once users began selling.
FSS expands scrutiny after “ghost coin” incident
FSS Chairman Lee Chan-jin said incidents involving what he described as “ghost coins” pose a fundamental threat to the digital asset market. He also said preventing similar cases is important if the virtual asset market is to connect more closely with the traditional financial system.
The event has also sped up South Korea’s 2026 crypto regulatory plans. The financial authority said it intends to deploy an AI-based monitoring system designed to detect suspicious activity in real time. The planned system will monitor large transactions, sharp price swings, and signs of coordinated market manipulation.
AI surveillance moves up the regulatory agenda
Authorities are presenting automated monitoring as a practical way to reduce the chance of similar distribution errors. They have highlighted the value of tools that can quickly flag major investor movements and unexpected market changes. The Bithumb case has drawn attention to how failures inside exchange systems can spill into trading activity within a short window and amplify losses during volatile conditions.
Publicly available details remain limited to the error itself, the regulator’s response, and the surveillance plan that followed. The source material does not specify how many users were affected, the exact amount of Bitcoin credited in error, or when the investigation will conclude.