Korean Crypto Exchanges Soar as Bitcoin Surges Past $80,000

The global crypto market rally has sent trading volumes soaring at Korean exchanges, with Bitcoin and Ethereum prices rebounding sharply in recent days.

The surge in trading volume was led by Upbit, Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange, which saw its daily trading volume jump to 4.61 trillion won ($3.23 billion) on Saturday, nearly 10 times the level a week earlier.

Bithumb, another major Korean exchange, also recorded high trading volumes, with its 24-hour trading volume exceeding 2 trillion won as of Saturday afternoon.

The rally has been driven by expectations of easing U.S. regulatory uncertainty and improving liquidity, with Bitcoin surging about 22% last week to an intraday high of $81,237.94 on Tuesday.

Industry officials expect the battle for market share among exchanges to intensify further as the sector moves toward greater regulatory recognition and broader use cases.