What Is the Kimchi Premium?
A practical explanation of why crypto can trade at a different price in South Korea, how CoinWOW calculates the gap, and what the number does—and does not—mean.
The Kimchi Premium describes the percentage gap between a cryptocurrency’s price in Korean KRW markets and a comparable global spot reference after both are expressed on the same currency basis.
CoinWOW converts global USDT spot prices through an independent USDT/USD reference and USD/KRW rate. It does not use Korean USDT/KRW as the FX denominator, because doing so could hide the Korean premium that exists in USDT itself.
Why can the premium persist?
Korean and global markets can face different order flow, liquidity, account constraints, deposit or withdrawal conditions and reaction speeds. A visible price gap therefore does not automatically disappear the moment it appears on a screen.
How should it be read?
Bitcoin alone is not the whole Korean market. CoinWOW also measures representative premium across liquid matched assets, Korean USDT premium, positive-premium breadth and the share of extreme gaps.
Check the market now
Open the live CoinWOW Kimchi Premium scanner to see current Upbit and Bithumb price gaps.
Explore Kimchi Premium guides
Connect the live data with its calculation basis and market context.
Why premiums emerge
Demand, liquidity and transfer friction.
REVERSEUnderstanding negative premiums
Individual gaps and broader market discounts.
USDTUnderstanding the USDT premium
Why the stablecoin gap is a separate indicator.
FX BASISCompare the calculation bases
Independent FX and local USDT pricing.
LIVELive premium scanner
Current premiums for matched assets.