South Korea Crypto Trading Volume Drops to Three-Year Low: Report

Highlights:

• South Korea’s five major crypto exchanges recorded about 8.06 trillion won in weekly trading volume.
• Weekly trading activity fell for a sixth straight week, reaching its lowest level in three years.
• Upbit and Bithumb remained dominant, handling 92.75% of total volume across the five exchanges combined.

Weekly cryptocurrency trading volume across South Korea’s five major exchanges has fallen to about 8.06 trillion won, reaching its lowest level in three years. TokenPost reported the figures on July 18, citing data from South Korean crypto publication Digital Asset.

The total covers activity on Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax. These platforms form South Korea’s main centralized crypto trading market, where customers buy and sell digital assets through exchange accounts. Trading volume measures the total value of transactions completed during a specific period. It helps show how actively investors are trading, although it does not reveal whether more people are buying or selling.

据韩国加密媒体 Digital Asset 统计，韩国五大加密资产交易所最新一周总交易额降至 8 万亿韩元区间，较 6 月初的 17.7 万亿韩元减少逾一半。其中，Upbit 市场份额为 63.57%，Bithumb 为 29.18%，Coinone 为 6.41%，Korbit 和 GOPAX 分别为 0.76% 和 0.07%。https://t.co/qsbTUR9ViP

— 吴说区块链 (@wublockchain12) July 18, 2026

South Korea Crypto Trading Activity Extends Five-Week Decline

The latest figure follows several weeks of falling activity. According to the report, combined trading volume between July 3 and July 10 stood at approximately 9.9676 trillion won. That marked the fifth consecutive weekly decline. The July 3–10 total was already 25.75% lower than the previous week’s roughly 13.4 trillion won. Compared with about 17.7 trillion won recorded in early June, weekly trading volume had fallen 43.5% within one month.

The newest reading of around 8.06 trillion won pushes the market below the previous week’s level. It also brings weekly activity into the 8 trillion won range for the first time in three years. 

Upbit remained South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by a wide margin. The platform accounted for 63.57% of the total weekly trading volume, while Bithumb held a 29.18% market share. Together, Upbit and Bithumb processed 92.75% of the combined trading volume during the measured period. Coinone ranked third with a 6.41% share. Korbit accounted for 0.76%, while Gopax held only 0.07%.

Market share refers to the portion of total trading value handled by each platform. It does not show how many customers use an exchange or how much cryptocurrency they hold. The figures show that most reported crypto trading activity in South Korea remained concentrated on Upbit and Bithumb.

Lower Volume Does Not Confirm Market Direction

A fall in trading volume shows that less money changed hands across the five exchanges. However, lower volume does not automatically prove that cryptocurrency prices will rise or fall. Trading activity may decline when investors become cautious, market volatility slows or fewer traders open short-term positions.

Separately, South Korea is planning a National Asset Basic Act that would include virtual assets in the government’s wider asset management system. The proposal would create separate rules for managing virtual assets, financial assets and intellectual property owned or controlled by the state. Authorities are also considering the tokenization of government-owned property. However, the proposed law must still pass through the legislative process before taking effect.

🇰🇷BREAKING: South Korea moves to officially recognize CRYPTO as a national asset.

The proposed law will include virtual assets and intellectual property alongside government-owned land and real estate, replacing rules dating back to 1950. pic.twitter.com/tpajPjvGAU

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) July 15, 2026