Bithumb to close Seoul office amid coronavirus outbreak

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb will close its office in Seoul indefinitely due to the outbreakcoronavirus infection.

The company announced this in its blog.According to the official statement, the decision to close the office is due to an increase in confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Seoul.

"...we intend to suspend the operation of the Bithumb Autonomous Center in Gangnam to prevent the spread of COVID-19," the exchange said in an announcement.

When Bithumb plans to reopen the capital's office, it remains unknown.

Earlier it became known that Bithumb investors are looking for an opportunity to get rid of their shares as part of the takeover of the exchange by another crypto trading platform - Huobi.

According to local sources, with the purchase of Bithumb Huobi plans toexpand its presence in the South Korean market in accordance with local law.There are now only four exchanges in South Korea that canofficially offer access to banking channels through real-name accounts, including Bithumb.

In recent months, Bithumb offices have beenthe police came with searches due to a fraud case against the company's management. In addition, Bithumb's litigation with the South Korean tax service remains open, which wants to collect $ 67 million from the exchange.

</p></p>