Old hands in South Korea Bitcoin market unfazed by threats of ban

SEOUL/HONG KONG: Threats of a potential cryptocurrency trading ban in South Korea have scared many investors away, but some veterans of the young market are defiant, saying restrictions would be relatively easy to circumvent.

Although the cryptocurrency market lost about US$ 200 billion this week, or a third of its value, these investors – known within the community as ‘hodlers’ after a misspelled meme that went viral during Bitcoin’s early days – are used to rollercoaster rides.

China’s shutdown of local exchanges in September, for instance, caused a 50 per cent drop in Bitcoin, but prices rebounded eight-fold to almost US$ 20,000.

Currently valued around US$10,000, Bitcoin could be poised for a similar whirlwind this time around, some say.

“In case the government shuts down all local exchanges, investors can always go abroad and open an account there,” said a South Korean student who declined to be named because of legal risks.

“I can ask my friends who study abroad or travel there myself. It’s not that big of a problem.”

Cryptocurrency experts say the student probably has good reason to be relaxed.

A ban could discourage new market entrants, but the anonymity of buyers and sellers and the ability to move digital assets anywhere in the world with a click makes it hard to impose restrictions on existing participants without a global consensus.

Places like Singapore and Hong Kong maintain light regulations, while neighbouring Japan has encouraged a vast ecosystem of companies and investors around digital assets by pioneering a set of rules for the industry.

Germany has said national restrictions may be useless.

According to industry experts, the first step to circumventing a ban is hiding IP addresses from authorities via virtual private networks ( VPNs).

Traders can then continue business as usual.

Decentralised exchanges, such as Shapeshift or Stellar Dex, do not require identification and can be accessed from anywhere.

Cryptocurrency wallets such as Exodus and Jaxx are linked to such exchanges, so trading and storing the assets can still be anonymous.

Authorities in countries with strong legal protections may need a warrant to check computers or smartphones for proof of such activity. Even then, unless caught in the act, the holder can claim no trading has taken place since the legislation was approved and has forgotten the password for the wallet.

Some decentralised exchanges offer derivative products that allow betting on the price of a cryptocurrency against a fiat currency, including the Korean won and Chinese yuan. — Reuters