Bitcoin News Today: Bitcoin Hits -0.18% Negative Kimchi Premium in South Korea for First Time

Generated by AI AgentCoin World
Saturday, Aug 16, 2025 12:07 pm ET1min read
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Aime RobotAime Summary

- Bitcoin in South Korea fell below global prices for the first time, showing a -0.18% negative Kimchi Premium on August 17.

- Major altcoins like Ethereum and Solana also traded at discounts, signaling reduced speculative activity or improved arbitrage efficiency.

- The shift contrasts historical patterns driven by retail demand and liquidity gaps, with no clear link to regulatory or macroeconomic changes.

- South Korean crypto prices now trail global benchmarks, suggesting increased market integration and evolving investor behavior.

Bitcoin recorded a negative Kimchi Premium of -0.18% on August 17, marking the first time in recent history that South Korean prices for the cryptocurrency fell below global benchmarks. At 12:00 AM KST,

Bitcoin
traded at 163.28 million KRW on Upbit, while the same asset was valued at 163.57 million KRW on Binance, resulting in a 290,000 KRW price discrepancy [1]. This represents the inverse of the typical Kimchi Premium, where South Korean prices traditionally traded at a premium due to strong retail demand and liquidity constraints in local exchanges.

The negative premium extended beyond Bitcoin, with major altcoins also trading at a discount.

Ethereum
showed a -0.23% Kimchi Premium, while
Solana
,
XRP
,
Dogecoin
, and
Shiba Inu
reflected discounts ranging from -0.13% to -0.71%. The widespread underperformance suggests a broader shift in South Korean investor behavior, indicating reduced speculative activity or increased arbitrage efficiency compared to earlier periods [1].

Bitcoin’s price in South Korea declined by 0.52% from the previous day, reinforcing a trend of cautious market sentiment. The Kimchi Premium has long served as a barometer for regional demand and regulatory influence. A negative reading implies that South Korean investors may be less aggressive than their global counterparts or that arbitrage opportunities have diminished [1].

Historically, a strong Kimchi Premium was driven by high retail demand and limited liquidity in local exchanges. However, recent data suggests a reversal of this pattern, with South Korean prices now trailing global prices. Analysts have not yet linked this shift to specific macroeconomic or policy changes, as the current data does not include forecasts or predictive analysis [1].

The development may reflect broader market maturity or evolving regulatory oversight, though the exact drivers remain unclear. For now, the negative Kimchi Premium highlights the increasing integration of South Korean markets with global crypto pricing mechanisms.

Source: [1] Bitcoin Shows Negative Kimchi Premium of 0.18% on ... (https://www.ittimes.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=79999)