Asian Journal of Criminal Justice and Forensic Studies

  • Received 31.07.2025,
  • Revised 17.11.2025,
  • Accepted 16.12.2025
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Vol. 1, No. 1. 2025
  • blockchain analysis; virtual assets; law enforcement agencies; international cooperation; regulatory mechanisms; law enforcement practice
  • Pages 75-89

The purpose of this study was to identify the specific features of national approaches to the use of digital forensics in the investigation of cryptocurrency-related crimes in the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea. The methodological basis was a comparative analysis of regulatory and legal acts, practical approaches and the outcomes of law enforcement activities in both jurisdictions in the context of the transnational nature of cryptocurrency crime. The study revealed fundamental differences between the regulatory approaches: the Kazakhstani model is oriented towards the legalisation of the crypto industry through licensing and the creation of special regimes within the Astana International Financial Centre, whereas the Korean approach is characterised by strict financial supervision and preventive monitoring through specialised legislation on the protection of virtual asset users. An analysis of practical results for 2024 showed a significant asymmetry in the scale of law enforcement activity: Kazakhstan achieved initial success through the dismantling of 36 illegal cryptocurrency exchanges with a turnover of more than 110 million US dollars, the freesing of 4.8 million stablecoins and the return of 545 thousand stablecoins to victims, while in 2024 Korean law enforcement agencies continued to receive an increasing number of reports of suspicious cryptocurrency transactions, indicating the intensification of the financial monitoring system. The findings conceptualise two trajectories in the development of national digital forensics systems and confirm the critical role of the regulatory and legal framework in creating an effective evidentiary trail in cross-border investigations of cryptocurrency-related crimes. The practical significance of the study lies in identifying the preconditions for the successful functioning of digital forensics and the potential for mutual learning between jurisdictions with differing experience in regulating cryptocurrency markets, which may be used by regulatory and law enforcement bodies to improve national systems for countering cryptocurrency-related crime

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