South Korean Court Upholds Dismissal of Official Who Mined Crypto on Public Servers

A South Korean court has upheld the dismissal of a former senior official at the Korea Food Research Institute who secretly mined cryptocurrency using the institute's resources.

The official, identified only as 'A', installed two GPU servers in a storage area and used them to mine approximately 71 million altcoins between February and September 2023. The operation also involved unauthorized use of the institute's budget for air-conditioning installation, network setup, and electrical work.

The court found that the dismissal was a valid disciplinary action, not disproportionate or invalid under social norms, given the serious misuse of public resources. This ruling reinforces accountability for public employees and highlights the importance of oversight in preventing such abuses.