South Korea’s Crypto Exports See a Surge in Altcoin Trading
It’s been a busy 24 hours for South Korea’s biggest crypto exchanges, Upbit and Bithumb. Trading volumes for certain altcoins have spiked—some by quite a lot. Sahara AI (SAHARA), for instance, topped the charts with over $157 million in trades across both platforms. That’s not exactly pocket change, even in the volatile world of crypto.
Pudgy Penguins (PENGU), an NFT-linked token, wasn’t far behind with $123 million. And then there’s XRP, the old reliable of the market, pulling in around $91 million. It’s interesting, really—despite all the new projects popping up, some of the familiar names still hold their ground.
Who’s Moving the Market?
Beyond the top three, Livepeer (LPT) and Sei (SEI) saw solid action, with $72 million and $88 million respectively. Bitcoin and Ethereum, the usual heavyweights, weren’t exactly quiet either—BTC hit $82 million, while ETH landed at $52 million. But what’s catching eyes are the smaller players. Newton Protocol (NEWT) and Movement (MOVE) racked up $47 million and $43 million, which isn’t bad for tokens that don’t always make headlines.
Solana (SOL), despite its recent network hiccups, still managed $41 million. Not its best day, but not terrible either.
All told, the two exchanges saw roughly $1.5 billion in trades over the past day. That’s a lot of money changing hands, even if it’s just a snapshot of the broader market.
Why the Sudden Activity?
It’s hard to pin down exactly what’s driving the jumps. Maybe it’s speculation, maybe it’s something else. South Korea’s crypto scene has always had its own rhythm, with local traders sometimes latching onto projects that don’t get as much attention elsewhere.
Or perhaps it’s just one of those days where the market decides to shuffle the deck. Crypto’s like that—quiet one minute, chaotic the next.
Either way, it’s worth keeping an eye on. Not as a signal to buy or sell, of course—just as a reminder of how fast things can move.
*This isn’t investment advice. Just a look at what’s happening.
