The South Korean Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) will investigate suspicions of cryptocurrency price manipulation in 2026 with increased audits. According to Yonhap News Agency, FSS Chairman Lee Chang-jin stated that they will target high-risk trading practices.
South Korean FSS Targets BTC Whale Transactions and Manipulation Tactics
In audits, large-scale whale transactions, schemes exploiting exchange deposit or withdrawal interruptions, and tactics spreading false information via APIs and social media are in the forefront. According to recent news, massive movements like Garrett Jin depositing 5.000 BTC (351 million dollars) into Binance and the Binance SAFU Fund adding another 4.225 BTC (299,6 million dollars) to reach a total of 10.455 BTC exemplify the whale activities that FSS is focusing on. These deposits played a role in BTC rising %15 in the last 15 hours from 60.000 dollars to above 68.000.
Bithumb BTC Error and Upbit ZKsync Incidents Trigger Audits
FSS will strengthen automatic detection tools that analyze abnormal price movements at short intervals and detect coordinated disinformation through text analysis. Audits will examine “gating” practices, including artificial price fluctuations caused by exchange infrastructure outages. Bithumb exchange recovered %99,7 of excess Bitcoin loaded due to a promotional error; the ZKsync (ZK) token price movement on Upbit is under investigation. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) ordered exchanges to review their internal controls. These incidents are also critical for ZK detailed analysis.
FSS Expands AI-Based Market Surveillance Tools
FSS expanded its artificial intelligence-based market surveillance tools on February 2 and established a task force for the Digital Asset Framework Act. These tools will catch wash trading and pump-dump schemes in real-time for high-volume assets like BTC. The current BTC price is at 69.934 dollar level, with a 24-hour change of -%1,08 in a downtrend, but RSI 33,06 gives an oversold signal.
BTC Technical Analysis: Support and Resistance Levels
The following table summarizes BTC’s critical levels:
| Level | Price (USD) | Score (/100) | Distance | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 (Strong Support) | 62.909,86 | 79 ⭐ | -10,03% | POC, Fibo 0.000, Donchian Lower |
| S2 (Strong Support) | 68.974,88 | 67 ⭐ | -1,36% | S1, Prev |
| R1 (Strong Resistance) | 71.044,41 | 77 ⭐ | +1,60% | Fibo 0.214, R1, HVN 1 |
| R2 (Medium Resistance) | 91.672,51 | 58 | +31,10% | Fibo 0.618, EMA 100 |
Supertrend bearish, EMA 20: 78.179 dollars. Investors should monitor these levels for BTC detailed analysis. Manipulation risk could affect BTC futures volume.
What Do Korean Audits Mean for BTC Investors?
These strict audits will also affect global exchanges. In the correction following the BTC rally (currently 69.934$), whale movements will become more transparent, and retail investors will be protected. Similar scrutiny may increase for altcoins like ZK.
Source: https://en.coinotag.com/south-koreas-fss-intensifies-btc-manipulation-audits
