22 Bitcoins Disappear from Gangnam Police Station... Probe Launched into Possible Insider Involvement

[Financial News] A nationwide inspection of virtual asset management systems at police stations has revealed that 22 Bitcoins kept in custody by Gangnam Police Station in Seoul were leaked to the outside, officials confirmed on the 13th. The leaked Bitcoins are reportedly worth about 2.1 billion won based on that day's market price.
According to The Dong-A Ilbo on the 13th, 22 Bitcoins that Gangnam Police Station had received voluntarily and kept as part of an investigation in November 2021 were leaked. The investigation into that case had been suspended, which is why the leak went unnoticed until now.
The inspection found that the cold wallet itself had not been stolen, but the Bitcoins stored inside it had been removed. A cold wallet is a USB-type storage device that is kept offline, making it very difficult to access through ordinary phishing or hacking attempts.
In response, the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency has launched a preliminary internal investigation to determine exactly how the leak occurred and whether any insiders were involved.
This incident came to light only later, during a nationwide review of police stations conducted by the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) following a separate Bitcoin loss case at the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office.
Earlier, the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office discovered in December that 320 Bitcoins it had seized in connection with criminal cases around June and July last year had gone missing, and it is now conducting an internal audit. That case is similar to the current one in that the cold wallet itself remained in place, while only the Bitcoins stored inside were leaked.
sms@fnnews.com Reporter Seong Min-seo Reporter