As Ethereum (ETH) steadily approaches its all-time excessive (ATH), some trade leaders imagine that the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization just isn’t solely benefiting from natural demand. Reasonably, it’s being “propped up” by Korean traders trying to make a fast buck.
Ethereum Being Held Up By Korean Traders?
In an X post earlier at the moment, crypto entrepreneur Samson Mow made some attention-grabbing observations on ETH’s present value trajectory. The crypto govt attributed ETH’s present heightened value to Korean retail traders.
Particularly, Mow said that roughly $6 billion price of Korean retail capital is supporting Ethereum costs. Mow blamed ETH influencers who’re reportedly touring to South Korea to market the digital asset to retail traders.
As well as, the founding father of AQUA Pockets mentioned ETH traders will not be totally conscious of the ETH/BTC chart, and are underneath the misunderstanding that they’re shopping for the “subsequent Technique.” He cautioned that it’s going to not finish effectively for ETH traders.
To recall, Technique is the main public firm with regards to the quantity of Bitcoin (BTC) held on its stability sheet. In keeping with information from Coingecko, Technique at the moment holds 640,031 BTC, price greater than $48 billion at prevailing market costs.
In relation to Ethereum-based treasury corporations, BitMine leads the pack, holding greater than 2.5 million ETH price roughly $12.4 billion. Different corporations like SharpLink Gaming (838,728 ETH), Coinbase ((136,782 ETH), Bit Digital (120,306 ETH), and ETHZilla (102,246 ETH) spherical up the highest 5 within the listing.
There are a number of indicators that the Ethereum buying and selling market in South Korea could also be reaching overbought ranges. As an illustration, the ETH “Kimchi premium” surged to 1.93 on October 5, a big surge from -2.06 noticed in July 2025 when the cryptocurrency traded under $3,000.
For the uninitiated, the Kimchi premium refers back to the value distinction the place cryptocurrencies commerce at larger costs on South Korean exchanges in comparison with world markets. This premium arises from sturdy native demand, restricted capital movement out of Korea, and regulatory boundaries that forestall straightforward arbitrage between Korean and worldwide exchanges.
On-Chain Information Recommend Robust Demand For ETH
In distinction to Mow’s opinion, on-chain information exhibits that each institutional and retail demand for ETH just isn’t displaying any indicators of slowing down. BitMine continues to stack ETH regardless of it buying and selling near its ATH territory.
On the identical time, ETH-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) proceed to draw an rising quantity of inflows. Lately, US-based spot ETH ETFs attracted report inflows price $547 million. At press time, ETH trades at $4,701, up 4.4% prior to now 24 hours.
Featured picture from Unsplash.com, chart from TradingView.com
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