South Korea’s Supreme Court Rule No. 3280 sets procedures for courts to freeze, seize and sell cryptocurrency in civil cases; promulgated on October 12, 2026, it took effect on November 1.

The framework formalizes civil debt enforcement after the Supreme Court recognized Bitcoin as property with value in 2018 and upheld Bitcoin seizure under the Criminal Procedure Act in December 2025.

As litigation proceeds, courts can order provisional freezes before a final judgment to prevent crypto assets from being moved.

For crypto held on exchanges, courts can attach a debtor’s withdrawal claim, bar transfers and require custodians to disclose relevant holdings and claims within a week of an order.

That gives creditors a more predictable route to crypto held on domestic platforms such as Upbit and Bithumb, which must comply with court-ordered transfer bans.

To satisfy a creditor, courts may transfer crypto at a court-set value or order its sale through licensed virtual asset service providers, using market prices or other court-approved valuations.

The rule also reaches self-custodied crypto, but enforcement is harder when assets are controlled by private keys rather than held by a platform.