South Korean authorities have ordered domestic access to Polymarket blocked after determining that the crypto-based prediction platform provides an illegal gambling environment to users in the country.
The Korea Media and Communications Standards Commission (KMCSC) announced on August 18, 2026, that its Communications Deliberation Subcommittee resolved to issue a corrective request to block access. Regulators determined that Polymarket’s operations constitute information facilitating gambling under the Criminal Act and fall under prohibited analogous betting activities under the National Sports Promotion Act.
The commission pointed to Polymarket’s winner-takes-all structure, where users trade shares tied to uncontrollable outcomes across politics, sports, weather, and macroeconomics. Regulators argued this design encourages speculative behavior. Additionally, the commission cited Polymarket’s operational role in establishing markets, maintaining trading rules, providing crypto deposit and withdrawal interfaces, and earning transaction fees.
Polymarket argued that it removed Korean-language support, does not accept payments in Korean won, and relies on noncustodial smart contracts and peer-to-peer order books rather than managing user funds directly.
The commission rejected those arguments, ruling that technical characteristics like decentralization and self-custody do not exempt a platform from domestic compliance. It concluded that access restrictions were required because the platform provides a functional illegal gambling venue for local residents.
South Korea joins a growing list of jurisdictions, including France, Australia, and Germany, that have ordered access to Polymarket restricted on gambling-related regulatory grounds.
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