US kimchi premium: Upbit & Bithumb vs Binance
How much more (or less) US costs on the Korean exchanges Upbit and Bithumb than on Binance: the KRW price converted to USDT at the Korean USDT/KRW price, against the Binance USDT perpetual price. From the same snapshot as the kimchi premium table.
On Bithumb, US last traded at ₩36.940, which is $0.02730 at Upbit's ₩1,353 per USDT, against $0.02739 on Binance: a 0.33% discount. In other words, ₩1,000,000 spent on US on Bithumb buys about ₩1,003,300 worth at Binance prices, so it is cheaper to buy in Korea than abroad right now. That is in line with Bithumb's volume-weighted premium of -0.28% across 92 coins. US ranks #17 of 190 by Korean 24h trading value (₩27.2B).
US on Upbit and Bithumb vs Binance
as of 12:13 UTC · premium vs USDT| Venue | KRW price | USD equivalent | Binance price | Premium | KRW 24h volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upbit | not shown: under ₩500.0M traded in 24 h, not listed, or excluded | ||||
| Bithumb | ₩36.940 | $0.02730 | $0.02739 perp | -0.33% | ₩27.2B |
USD equivalent = KRW price ÷ ₩1,353, Upbit's own KRW-USDT price, so the premium is vs USDT, not vs the bank dollar rate. Binance price: the USDT perpetual US/USDT market. US is #17 of 190 coins by combined Upbit + Bithumb 24h volume (₩27.2B).
US kimchi premium history
Recording since Oct 2, 2026: the chart appears once 24 hourly points are stored (4 so far).
Data: Upbit and Bithumb public ticker APIs, and Binance prices from this site's live feed, refreshed about once a minute. Green means Korea pays more than Binance, red less. Every coin is on the kimchi premium table. Not financial advice.
US kimchi premium FAQ
What is the US kimchi premium today?
US trades at a 0.33% discount on Korean exchanges against Binance right now (Bithumb -0.33%). The figure refreshes about once a minute from the Upbit and Bithumb public tickers.
How is the US kimchi premium calculated?
The US KRW price on Upbit or Bithumb is divided by the Korean USDT price in won (₩1,353 on Upbit now) and compared with the US price on Binance ($0.02739, USDT perpetual): premium = KRW price ÷ USDT/KRW ÷ Binance price − 1. A venue counts only when it traded at least ₩500.0M of US in the last 24 hours.
Can you arbitrage the US kimchi premium?
Not easily. Korean exchanges take won only from verified local bank accounts and South Korea limits moving won abroad, which is why the gap can last. Transfers take time, an exchange can suspend US deposits or withdrawals, and the premium can close before a transfer lands. Nothing here is financial advice.