South Korean Judges Hold Bitcoin and Altcoins, Disclosures Show

South Korean judges have been disclosed to hold various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana, according to public information released on March 28. These disclosures were made as a result of a scandal called Coin Gate, which originated from a lawmaker who sold coins with insider information on regulatory changes. The scandal expanded to include other lawmakers, as well as senior civil servants and judiciary members. In response, the Supreme Court ruled that senior judges must annually declare their cryptocurrency holdings to prevent potential conflicts of interest. The declarations must also include information on spouses’ holdings and wallets held under their children’s names. Chief Justice Lim Byeong-ryeol of the Cheongju District Court reported the largest Bitcoin holdings, with BTC 9.92 held by him and his family. Other senior judges, such as Chief Justice Hwang Byeong-ha and Chief Judge Kim Bok-hyung, also disclosed their cryptocurrency holdings. In addition to cryptocurrencies, judges were also required to disclose their total assets, which included domestic and overseas stocks. Several judges were found to hold shares in well-known US companies like Amazon, Apple, Tesla, and Nvidia.