Koreans Paid Offshore Exchanges an Estimated $3.5 Billion in Fees Last Year. Seoul Just Blocked 27 of Them

South Korea's Financial Intelligence Unit is blocking access to the websites of 27 unregistered crypto exchanges, including KuCoin, MEXC, BitMart, Phemex and BingX. App-store bans in 2025 didn't stop the money leaving: an estimated $110 billion left Korean exchanges in 2025, according to CoinDesk. Regulators no longer need a court ruling or proof of losses to pull the plug.