The loss was uncovered during an audit launched after a separate 320 Bitcoin custody failure, raising fresh concerns over digital asset management by authorities.
South Korean authorities are investigating after 22 Bitcoin seized in a 2021 case disappeared from a cold wallet at a Seoul police station, according to local media reports.
The 22 Bitcoin (BTC), worth about $1.5 million at current prices, were held by the Gangnam Police Station and discovered missing during a nationwide audit of digital asset custody practices, the Seoul Economic Times reported Friday.
Authorities reportedly said the 22 Bitcoin had been transferred externally, though the cold wallet storing the tokens was not stolen.
The investigation follows a separate case at the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office where 320 BTC, worth about $21.3 million at current prices, disappeared in August 2025. Prosecutors in that case blamed a leaked password as part of a phishing attack.
The cases are drawing scrutiny over the authorities’ ability to handle confiscated Bitcoin and the safekeeping practices of digital assets.
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Audit uncovers broader custody failures
The National Police Agency reportedly initiated a review of seized cryptocurrency holdings across the country following the 320 Bitcoin case. During that review, officials discovered that the 22 Bitcoin previously submitted to the Gangnam station in November 2021 were no longer in custody.
The 22 Bitcoin were voluntarily submitted to authorities during an investigation in November 2021. The case is now suspended without a clear conclusion after the BTC disappeared.
The Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency is investigating the circumstances and potential individuals involved in the Bitcoin transfer.
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In January, South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled that Bitcoin held in centralized exchanges can be seized by investigators.
Bitcoin is now an “object of seizure” under the Criminal Procedure Act because it is electronic information with independent manageability, tradability and economic value.
The ruling means Korean users keeping their Bitcoin on exchanges may have their holdings frozen if linked to alleged criminal proceedings.
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