Sui Korea Guide: Buying SUI (수이 코인) on Upbit and Bithumb

Yes, you can buy SUI (수이) in South Korea: Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone and Korbit all run a SUI/KRW market, and all four were quoting live won prices on 18 October 2026 according to their public market data. SUI (수이 코인 in most Korean search results) has been traded in won since May 2023, when it became the first overseas project listed on Korea's five won exchanges at the same time.

This guide covers Sui's history in Korea, where to buy it, the regulatory frame as it stands in October 2026 (the Virtual Asset User Protection Act, FIU registration, real-name bank accounts, the travel rule and the still-pending Digital Asset Basic Act), the delayed crypto tax, Korea Blockchain Week, and how a Korean user can move SUI from an exchange into a Sui wallet. If you are new to the chain itself, start with our explainer on what Sui is.

Sui's footprint in South Korea

Korea has been one of Sui's most active markets since day one. When Sui mainnet launched on 3 May 2023, Newsis reported that Gopax, Korbit and Coinone listed SUI the same day and Bithumb and Upbit followed on 4 May, the first time a single overseas project had been listed on all five won exchanges at once. Within days, Etoday reported (figures as of 8 May 2023) that Upbit's SUI/KRW pair carried about 24% of global SUI volume, the largest single pair in the world, just ahead of Binance's SUI/USDT.

Etoday also reported that Samsung NEXT invested in Mysten Labs in 2021 and NCSOFT in 2022, and GamesBeat's launch coverage listed Netmarble as a partner planning to bring Grand Cross: Metaworld to Sui.

In September 2023, Forkast reported that NHN, the company behind Hangame, had partnered with Mysten Labs on an on-chain game, despite Korea's domestic ban on games with cashable crypto rewards. We found no new Korean gaming partnership on Sui announced in 2026, so treat these as history rather than current launches.

The most visible recent presence was at Korea Blockchain Week 2025. According to the Sui Foundation's recap, Sui ran main-stage talks at KBW: IMPACT, an evening event in Seongsu for over 800 guests and a Sui Builder House: APAC with around 600 attendees, where Korean ordering platform t'order announced plans for stablecoin payments and onchain loyalty data on its network.

On-chain, Sui held about $485 million in DeFi total value locked as of 18 October 2026, per DefiLlama. For the apps that make up that figure, see our guide to the best DeFi platforms on Sui.

Where to buy SUI in South Korea

Korean residents generally buy crypto with won on a domestic exchange that holds FIU registration and a real-name bank account partnership (more on both below). We checked each exchange's own public market API on 18 October 2026.

Listing dates are from Newsis; Upbit's original announcement covered both the KRW and BTC markets, with deposits accepted only on the Sui mainnet. Bithumb's move from NH NongHyup to KB Kookmin, and the existing Upbit–K Bank and Coinone–KakaoBank partnerships, were reported by the Korea Times. On 18 October 2026, Upbit flagged no investment warning or caution on its SUI markets. Gopax also still lists a SUI/KRW pair, but its last trade on our check was on 12 October, so liquidity there is thin.

Bank partnerships are renewed yearly and can change, so confirm the current bank in the exchange app before you open an account.

Crypto regulation in South Korea (as of October 2026)

Two laws govern centralised crypto businesses; a broader framework is still in Parliament.

Virtual Asset User Protection Act: in force since 19 July 2024

The Financial Services Commission confirmed that the Act on the Protection of Virtual Asset Users took effect on 19 July 2024. Exchanges must keep customer won deposits at banks, hold customers' tokens separately and in full, carry insurance or a reserve against hacks and outages, and run constant surveillance for suspicious trading. Price manipulation and other unfair trading can now lead to criminal penalties or fines.

VASP registration and the real-name account rule

Under the Specified Financial Information Act, anyone running a virtual asset business must register with the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU), including holding ISMS security certification. A summary of the regime is in the Chambers 2026 South Korea guide (updated 11 June 2026), which notes that new registration requirements took effect on 20 August 2026. An exchange that offers won trading must also obtain a real-name verified account from a bank, and in practice each exchange works with one bank. Before an account goes live, exchanges verify identity through KYC providers such as iDenfy and their bank partner, and the deposit account must be in the user's own name. See what a VASP is.

Travel rule

Korea's travel rule has applied since 25 March 2022: exchanges must pass sender and recipient details for transfers of 1 million won or more, as reported by Financial News. In 2025 the big exchanges went further. According to SmartToday, Upbit has restricted withdrawals under 1 million won to unregistered addresses since 13 February 2025, and Bithumb did the same from 1 April 2025, with personal wallets needing to be registered in advance. Chambers adds that lawmakers are considering removing the threshold entirely. Our travel rule explainer covers how this works across countries.

Overseas exchanges

Foreign exchanges that target Korean users without registering are treated as operating illegally. In March 2025, at the FIU's request, Google Play blocked 17 unregistered overseas exchange apps for Korean users, including KuCoin and MEXC, Asia Economy reported, and Apple's App Store followed with 14 in April 2025, per Cointelegraph. Chambers also records that a Foreign Exchange Transactions Act amendment, requiring VASPs that handle cross-border transfers to register, passed the National Assembly on 7 May 2026.

Digital Asset Basic Act and won stablecoins: still in committee

The Digital Asset Basic Act, which would add rules on token issuance, disclosure and won-denominated stablecoins, was introduced on 10 June 2025 and has not passed. The main dispute is who may issue a won stablecoin: the Bank of Korea favours bank-led issuers. As of 22 September 2026, Analytics Insight reported that ten digital asset and stablecoin bills were pending and the FSC still aimed for a committee review in November 2026. On 30 September 2026, the Seoul Economic Daily reported that no date had been set for public hearings. In short: no won stablecoin regime is law as of 18 October 2026.

Corporate accounts: partly open

Korea's block on corporate exchange accounts is lifting in phases. Per Chambers, authorities have had access since November 2024, and certain non-profits and exchanges since the second quarter of 2025. Reports in January 2026, including CoinDesk, described draft guidelines letting listed companies and professional investors put up to 5% of equity capital into large-cap tokens, but Chambers says that this second phase had not come into force as of April 2026, and we found no confirmation that it has since.

What about DeFi?

Korea's laws are written around centralised service providers. There is no specific regime for using a non-custodial DeFi protocol, but that is not an explicit permission, and authorities can act against services that target Korean users.

Crypto tax in South Korea

Korea does not yet tax individuals' crypto gains. Taxation of income from transferring or lending virtual assets has been postponed three times and is now due to start on 1 January 2027. The government's 2026 tax reform package, published in early August 2026, did not include another delay, Asia Economy reported on 3 August 2026. Under the current law, annual gains above 2.5 million won would be taxed at 22% (20% income tax plus local income tax), with the first return due in May 2028.

This is not final: a bill to push the start date to 2030 has been filed, and raising the deduction is being debated. How staking and DeFi income will be classified is also unsettled. Check with the National Tax Service or a Korean tax adviser.

Korea Blockchain Week 2026 and the Sui community

Korea Blockchain Week 2026 ran from 29 September to 1 October 2026 at Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts in Seoul, organised by FactBlock with Upbit as main sponsor, according to the organisers' January 2026 announcement. The first day was a private institutional forum, followed by two conference days. We could not find an official Sui Foundation programme for KBW 2026 comparable to its 2025 Builder House, so we are not claiming one.

The Sui ecosystem's main Asian event this year was a week later: Sui Basecamp 2026 on 7–8 October at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, alongside TOKEN2049, as announced by Sui. Our Sui Basecamp 2026 recap and Sui in Singapore cover it. Two announcements from that week are relevant to Korean readers:

• Samsung Wallet: Samsung, the Korean electronics group, will support USDC on Sui in Samsung Wallet, but only on US Galaxy devices at first, and for USDC only; the SUI token is not supported. Nothing has been announced for Korea.
• Throughput record: on 7 October, Sui reported 40,614,180 transactions per second via offchain tunnels settled to mainnet, not base-layer TPS (see Mysticeti).

Using Sui DeFi from South Korea

To stake SUI yourself or use Sui apps, you need to move it from the exchange to a self-custody Sui wallet. A typical path:

1. Set up a Sui wallet. Our Sui wallet comparison lists current options. Note that Phantom ended Sui support on 24 September 2026.
2. Register the wallet address with your exchange. Because of the travel-rule whitelisting described above, Upbit and Bithumb expect personal wallet addresses to be registered (and typically verified as yours) before you withdraw. Follow the exchange's own steps; the details differ by exchange.
3. Withdraw on the Sui network. Pick the Sui mainnet, send a small test amount first, and keep a little SUI in the wallet for gas.
4. Stake or farm. You can stake directly with a validator (see Sui validators explained), or use liquid staking. On JewelSwap, you can mint JWLSUI and stake it for SJWLSUI, which accrues staking rewards while JWLSUI stays usable elsewhere. Our complete guide to staking SUI and liquid staking comparison go further. For yield, JewelSwap runs Scallop leveraged farms, Cetus farms and Turbos farms.

Other parts of the ecosystem, such as NAVI, Suilend and DeepBook, are covered in our Sui lending comparison and Sui DEX comparison. JewelSwap Labs also runs public betas, Ember Loop and NAVI Loop, on new, unaudited contracts with small caps (Ember Loop is not available to US or UK residents).

Leverage, smart-contract and liquidation risk all apply. DeFi access may also be restricted by Korean law or by your exchange's withdrawal policy, so check before you move funds.

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy SUI with Korean won?

Yes. Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone and Korbit all had live SUI/KRW markets on 18 October 2026, and Upbit also has a BTC-SUI market. SUI has traded in won since 3–4 May 2023.

What is SUI called in Korean?

SUI is written 수이 in Korean, and Korean exchanges such as Upbit list it under that name. Many Korean users search for it as 수이 코인 or 수이코인.

Can I withdraw SUI from Upbit to my own wallet?

Generally yes, but under Korea's travel-rule controls Upbit has restricted withdrawals under 1 million won to unregistered addresses since February 2025, so you need to register and verify your personal wallet address first. Bithumb applies a similar rule. Check the exchange's current procedure.

Are crypto gains taxed in South Korea?

Not yet. Under current law, tax on crypto gains starts on 1 January 2027 at 22% on annual gains above 2.5 million won, with the first filing in May 2028. A bill to delay it to 2030 is pending, so confirm with the National Tax Service.

Has Korea passed the Digital Asset Basic Act?

No. The bill was introduced in June 2025 and remained in committee as of October 2026, mainly over who may issue won stablecoins. The FSC said in September 2026 that it aimed for a review in November 2026.

Did Sui take part in Korea Blockchain Week 2026?

KBW 2026 ran from 29 September to 1 October 2026 in Seoul. We found no official Sui Foundation programme for it. Sui's large Korean presence was at KBW 2025, including a Sui Builder House: APAC with around 600 attendees.

Keep reading

• Best DeFi platforms on Sui in 2026
• What is Sui?
• How to stake SUI: complete guide
• Best Sui wallets in 2026
• The crypto travel rule explained
• Sui in Singapore

This article is educational and is not financial, legal or tax advice. Exchange listings, regulatory stages and tax rules are as checked on 18 October 2026 from exchange market data, the FSC, law-firm guides and Korean press reports, and they can change; confirm with the exchange, the FSC/KoFIU, the National Tax Service or a qualified Korean adviser. Sources are linked throughout.