SEOUL, November 09 (AJP) - South Korea has introduced new rules allowing courts to seize and liquidate cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin to enforce civil judgments, the Supreme Court's National Court Administration said Monday.
The revised civil execution regulations, which took effect on Nov. 1, establish procedures for seizing and selling virtual assets held by debtors, addressing legal uncertainties surrounding cryptocurrency enforcement.
Under the new rules, cryptocurrencies held on exchanges can be seized by restricting debtors' rights to transfer their holdings. Courts may subsequently order the assets to be sold through exchanges or other authorized methods.
For cryptocurrencies stored in private wallets, courts can order debtors to transfer the assets to enforcement officers, who may then arrange their sale.
The changes come amid a sharp rise in cryptocurrency-related enforcement cases.
According to the court administration, the number of cases involving 28 domestic virtual asset service providers increased from 423 in 2023 to 3,136 in 2025.
A further 3,186 cases were filed in the first nine months of 2026 alone.
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