Bithumbs Bitcoin Blunder Puts Burden on Users as Legal Case Favors Civil Recovery

In brief

• Lawyers say unjust-enrichment law favours Bithumb, but outcomes may hinge on whether users knew, or should have known, the payouts were a mistake.
• Prosecutors are expected to tread carefully, as the incident stemmed from an internal error rather than hacking or fraud.
• The episode is intensifying scrutiny of Korean crypto exchanges’ internal controls, with regulators signaling tighter ownership and oversight rules ahead.