Crypto Murder Case From Seoul’s Beverly Hills Spurs Tighter Digital-Asset Regulation

  • Wealthy Seoul district left reeling by crypto-related homicide
  • Lawmakers have bridged divide and may back crypto bill in May

The skyline in the Gangnam area of Seoul, South Korea.

Photographer: Jean Chung/Bloomberg
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Just before midnight on March 29 an assailant dragged a screaming woman away from an apartment block in an upscale Seoul district and bundled her into a car that sped off into the night.

Her body was found a few days later, a murder thought to stem from a dispute over crypto investment losses and an attempt to steal the victim’s digital tokens, according to South Korean authorities and local reports. Security cameras recorded the kidnapping in Gangnam, a locality likened to California’s Beverly Hills for its wealth.