2024 South Korean Crypto Retail Investor Trends Report

Key Takeaways

• Since the beginning of the bull market in 2024, newly entered investors in the Korean crypto market account for approximately 33% of the total. Among them, those with an investment period of less than 6 months were mainly influenced by the issue of Trump’s election, while investors with an investment period of 6 months to less than 1 year appear to have entered the market primarily due to news of Bitcoin spot ETF approval.
• Expectations for pro-crypto policies under the Trump administration, including the SBR, have further fueled optimism, making Bitcoin the most anticipated cryptocurrency in 2025.
• Despite Korean investors being unfamiliar with DEX, the proportion of memecoin investments has exceeded half. This trend is interpreted as being significantly influenced by centralized exchanges actively listing memecoins. Notably, as of February 6, 2025, Bithumb has listed 16 memecoins, including $DOGE, $TRUMP, and $PENGU, showing a more aggressive stance compared to Upbit’s 6 listings in its KRW market.
• 75% of Korean cryptocurrency investors predict that Bitcoin’s price will exceed 150 million KRW in 2025, reflecting an optimistic outlook for the market.