Montenegro: "US Filed Extradition Request for Kwon Do-hyung Before South Korea"

The Montenegrin authorities detaining Kwon Do-hyung, CEO of Terraform Labs and a key figure in the cryptocurrency 'Terra·Luna' crash incident, announced on the 29th (local time) that "the United States requested extradition before South Korea."

Marco Kovac, Minister of Justice of Montenegro, held a press conference at the press center in the capital Podgorica on the same day and said, "So far, both South Korea and the United States have requested the extradition of CEO Kwon."

The local daily Vijesti reported that Minister Kovac confirmed that the United States requested extradition of CEO Kwon much earlier than South Korea.

Although the South Korean government also hurried to request extradition to bring CEO Kwon back to the country, the United States, which has an embassy in Montenegro, took the lead. It is possible to see that the United States has secured the initiative in the extradition competition with South Korea.

However, regarding extradition, factors such as the seriousness of the crime, the nationality of the accused, and the date of the extradition request are comprehensively considered, so it is difficult to predict which country CEO Kwon will be extradited to. Minister Kovac also stated, "At this stage, it is difficult to say which side has priority." He also mentioned Singapore, which has not yet requested extradition but is conducting a criminal investigation.

CEO Kwon was arrested on the 23rd at Podgorica International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), using a Costa Rican passport. On the following day, the 24th, the Montenegrin court extended the detention period for CEO Kwon and his associate Han Mo by up to 30 days, citing the risk of flight and unverified identity as foreigners residing in Singapore.

CEO Kwon left for Singapore in April last year, just before the Terra·Luna crash, and then disappeared. Afterward, he fled to Serbia via Dubai, and was caught while trying to go to Dubai through neighboring Montenegro.