South Korean prosecutors confirm they seek to freeze bitcoin assets linked to Do Kwon, who denies moving tokens • TechCrunch
Luna Foundation Guard (LFG), a Bitcoin reserve co-founded by Do Kwon as a confidence backstop to protect the Terra ecosystem, refuted claims that it had transferred digital tokens to other crypto exchanges after South Korea issued an arrest warrant for Kwon on Sept 14.
South Korean prosecutors say they have requested two crypto exchanges – KuCoin and OKX– to freeze a total of 3,313 Bitcoins, estimated at $67million, and allege the transfer was controlled by Kwon.
The Guard said in response it has not “created any new wallets or moved Bitcoins or other tokens held by LFG since May 2022.”
A spokesperson of the South Korean prosecutor’s office in Seoul confirmed to TechCrunch that it had asked two crypto venues to freeze the allegedly tied to Kwon’s assets.
The LFG treasury’s $BTC wallet is:
bc1q9d4ywgfnd8h43da5tpcxcn6ajv590cg6d3tg6axemvljvt2k76zs50tv4q
LFG hasn’t created any new wallets or moved $BTC or other tokens held by LFG since May 2022.@CoinDesk @iamsandali @cryptoquant_com https://t.co/VFN8A4mJRo
— LFG | Luna Foundation Guard (@LFG_org) September 27, 2022
KuCoin cooperated with the Korean prosecutors, freezing 1,354 Bitcoins, worth about $26.8 million, which was transferred to the exchange, while OKX did not reply to the prosecutor’s request, the spokesperson said, confirming an earlier report by CoinDesk.
CryptoQuant, a Blockchain data analytics platform, told CoinDesk that Luna Foundation Guard’s digital wallet was created on crypto exchange Binance on Sept 15, then 3,313 Bitcoins were transferred to Kucoin and OKX.
Kwon, whose whereabouts are currently unknown, said on Twitter, “There is no ‘cashout’ as alleged. I haven’t used Kucoin or OKEX in at least the last year, and no funds of TFL, IFG or any other entities have been frozen.”
What has been probably the most surprising in all this is the amount of misinformation that gets spread.
There is no “cashout” as alleged, i havent used kucoin or okex in at least the last year, and no funds of tfl, lfg or any other entities have been frozen. https://t.co/E1cbKgoqQz
— Do Kwon 🌕 (@stablekwon) September 28, 2022
The new development escalates scrutiny of Kwon, who is also subject to an Interpol order to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and arrest the entrepreneur. Kwon said Monday in a tweet that he was not in hiding.
South Korean authorities declined to comment on the Luna Foundation Guard tweet. TechCrunch has reached out to KuCoin and OKX for comments.
