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South Korean Prosecutors Raid Terra Co-Founder Daniel Shin's Home: Report

The authorities are continuing their investigation into fraud allegations at the center of the Terra collapse.

Terra co-founders Daniel Shin (left) and Do Kwon in happier days (Terraform Labs)
Terra co-founders Daniel Shin (left) and Do Kwon in happier days (Terraform Labs)

The home of Terraform Lab’s co-founder, Daniel Shin, in Seoul was raided by South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday, according to a local media report.

  • The raid was conducted as part of a broader investigation over allegations that fraud caused the collapse of the terraUSD (UST) algorithmic stablecoin, the report said.
  • In May, terraUSD fell dramatically off its U.S. dollar peg, causing an industry-wide fallout that saw several hedge funds and exchanges fall victim to overexposure. In the same month, some South Korea-based una (LUNA) token investors filed a complaint against Terraform Labs and co-founder Do Kwon alleging fraud and violations of local securities laws.
  • Shin is the latest stakeholder to be raided by Korean authorities. Earlier this week, major South Korean crypto exchanges, including Bithumb and Upbit, were raided by authorities.
  • In June, prosecutors implemented a travel ban on dozens of people connected to Terraform Labs, including former staff members.
  • Concurrently, prosecutors are also investigating allegations of tax evasion by Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon.
  • Both Shin and Kwon have addresses in Singapore, though it's unclear if they reside there full time.
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UPDATE (22 July, 06:12 UTC): Adds background information in second bullet.

Sam Reynolds

Sam Reynolds is a senior reporter based in Asia. Sam was part of the CoinDesk team that won the 2023 Gerald Loeb award in the breaking news category for coverage of FTX's collapse. Prior to CoinDesk, he was a reporter with Blockworks and a semiconductor analyst with IDC.

Sam Reynolds