Korbit sells 15 BTC and 60 ETH as South Korea's exchanges suffer historic volume collapse

Korbit’s planned sale of 15 BTC and 60 ETH to cover payroll and operating costs highlights severe stress in South Korea’s crypto exchange market, where trading activity has collapsed to two-year lows. Combined weekly volumes across the country’s five major exchanges fell 25.75% week over week to about 9.97 trillion won ($6.65B), while monthly averages dropped from 125.2 trillion won in Q4 2025 to 98.1 trillion won in Q1 2026, reflecting a broader 88% decline in activity. The article argues this is more a liquidity-management step than a distress signal, but it underscores how falling fee revenue, tighter regulation, and a rotation of investors toward stocks are pressuring exchange business models. Korbit’s ownership by Mirae Asset provides some financial cushion, yet continued volume weakness could force staffing cuts or consolidation. The piece says the BTC/ETH sales themselves should not materially impact crypto prices, but the operational signal is bearish for the sector.