Koreans lose interest in crypto trading

When bitcoin's price hit an all-time high of $126,210 last October, Lee Roo-da made up her mind. She would bet big when the next bear market came. That bear market has indeed arrived, but she remains hesitant.

"Semiconductor stocks have been performing extremely well. Come to think of it, semiconductors are an industry with real earnings, whereas bitcoin isn't," the 33-year-old office worker told The Korea Times. "What if this is the end?

Even if it isn't, how long will I have to wait for the price to go up?" Korea has long held a strong presence in the global crypto market, backed by enthusiastic retail investors, widespread internet access and a tech-savvy population. Many crypto projects refer to Korea as the "El Dorado of liquidity," as local investors have poured money into both bitcoin and altcoins.

But recent data suggests that Korea's retail-driven crypto boom may be losing momentum amid a broader global slump, even as the country remains one of the world's most active retail markets. According to TRM Labs, a global blockchain intelligence firm, Korea ranked second in retail cryp