South Korea and Chainalysis Partner to Strengthen Crypto Crime Investigations

Highlights:

• South Korea and Chainalysis aim to improve how investigators track stolen crypto across multiple countries and blockchains.
• South Korean police will receive specialized blockchain-investigation training through the new partnership with Chainalysis.
• North Korea-linked hackers stole more than $2 billion in cryptocurrency last year.

Chainalysis, a blockchain security firm, has partnered with South Korea’s Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) to strengthen the country’s ability to investigate cryptocurrency-related crimes. The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding in April and publicly announced the agreement on June 9. The agreement expands Chainalysis’s work from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to the Korean National Police Agency, which oversees policing across South Korea.

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🇰🇷 We are honoured to have signed an MoU with the Korean National Police Agency (@polinlove) to strengthen virtual asset investigation capabilities in South Korea.

The agreement deepens our collaboration across training, professional certification, and the joint development of… pic.twitter.com/m4Et1jZU3G

— Chainalysis (@chainalysis) June 10, 2026

KNPA-designated officers will receive Korean-language training through Chainalysis Academy. The courses will teach investigators how to trace cryptocurrency transactions across wallets, exchanges, blockchain bridges, and other digital asset services.

Investigators will also gain access to the Chainalysis Digital Asset Program. The certification system covers both foundational and advanced investigation techniques. The program teaches officers how to identify suspicious wallet activity, trace stolen cryptocurrency, and analyze transactions across multiple blockchains.

Chainalysis and the KNPA will also conduct practical exercises that mirror current fraud, money laundering, hacking, and cryptocurrency theft investigations. The exercises will train officers to investigate cases involving exchanges, blockchain bridges, and other methods criminals use to hide stolen funds.

The agreement allows Chainalysis and the KNPA to exchange information about emerging technologies and new cryptocurrency-related criminal methods. Both parties will use that information to improve investigations involving increasingly sophisticated digital asset crimes.

Chainalysis has also expanded its presence in South Korea through law enforcement partnerships and Korean-language research resources. Earlier this year, the company released a Korean-language version of its Crypto Crime Report to support investigators, businesses, regulators, and policymakers.

South Korea and Chainalysis Focus on Cross-Border Threats

The rising cryptocurrency theft linked to North Korean hacking groups helped drive the new agreement between Chainalysis and the KNPA. Chainalysis said North Korean cyber groups stole more than $2 billion worth of cryptocurrency last year. The company also estimated that those groups stole approximately $5.5 billion during the previous five years.

🇰🇵N. KOREAN HACKERS STOLE $2B IN CRYPTO IN 2025

North Korea–linked hackers stole $2.02 BILLION in crypto last year, up 51% year over year.

Despite fewer attacks, their all-time crypto haul has now hit $6.75 BILLION. pic.twitter.com/xqyM06BUOv

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) January 9, 2026

Research from CrowdStrike showed that North Korea-affiliated hackers caused around $2 billion in cryptocurrency losses last year. That figure represented a 51% increase compared with the previous year. In April, attackers linked to North Korea stole approximately $578 million through incidents involving Kelp DAO and Drift Protocol.

Chainalysis said investigators must follow stolen cryptocurrency across multiple blockchains, countries, exchanges, and bridges before criminals convert the assets into cash. Criminal groups frequently route stolen funds through cross-chain services, trading platforms, and mixing tools to hide transaction histories.

New Task Force Adds More Resources

The agreement comes weeks after South Korean police launched the Money Laundering Eradication Task Force to combat cryptocurrency-related financial crime. The Economic Crime Investigation Division leads the task force and coordinates investigations involving cybercrime, money laundering, and illicit cryptocurrency transactions.

South Korean authorities have allocated funding to train officers in blockchain analysis and virtual asset tracking techniques. The funding will support specialized training to teach investigators how to trace cryptocurrency transactions and identify money-laundering networks.

The expanded partnership builds on previous cooperation between Chainalysis and South Korean investigators. In September last year, Seoul police dismantled an international hacking organization that stole approximately 39 billion won, or about $30 million, from 258 victims.

Investigators started the case in South Korea and later traced suspects to Thailand. Chainalysis provided blockchain intelligence tools that helped investigators trace stolen funds linked to the hacking group. The company said its technology has supported investigations that resulted in more than $34 billion in asset seizures worldwide. Chainalysis also said courts have accepted its blockchain analysis as evidence in criminal proceedings.

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