finally? Montenegro’s Ministry of Justice orders Do Kwon to be extradited to the United States, Terra founder’s dream of returning to South Korea is shattered
The extradition battle between the United States and South Korea for Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon is now rumored to be won by the United States. Montenegro’s Minister of Justice announced on Friday that the Ministry of Justice has ordered Do Kwon to be extradited to the United States for trial. Will this be the final result?
(Preliminary summary: Is it true this time? The Montenegro court ruled that Do Kwon will be extradited to South Korea)
(Background supplement: Do Kwon appealed to the Montenegro court for extradition to South Korea. What is his wishful thinking?)
The incident of Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon, who the United States and South Korea are competing to extradite from Montenegro (also known as Montenegro), is full of twists and turns. In August, the Montenegrin court originally ruled that Do Kwon should be extradited to his hometown of South Korea, but the latest news on Friday night showed a reversal. The Montenegrin government said that Do Kwon would be extradited to the United States to face trial.
Montenegro’s Justice Minister Bojan Božović announced in a statement on the official website on Friday (27) that the Ministry of Justice has ordered Do Kwon’s extradition to the United States, but did not specify when Do Kwon’s transfer will take place. The statement added:
Considering the Supreme Court's decision, the Ministry of Justice considered all the facts and circumstances and assessed criteria such as the seriousness of the crime, the place of execution, the order in which the request was made, the citizenship of the person being requested, and other circumstances.
The Justice Department concluded that most of the criteria required by law for an extradition request by U.S. authorities were met, and the Attorney General issued a decision permitting Do Kwon’s extradition to the United States.
Do Kwon’s calculation failed and he gave priority to extradition to the United States instead of South Korea
The stablecoins TerraUSD (UST) and LUNA exploded in May 2022, causing global investors to lose more than 40 billion US dollars. Do Kwon, the co-founder of the public chain, was subsequently wanted internationally for running away, and was eventually arrested while trying to leave Montenegro in March 2023.
Bloomberg noted that it was unclear whether Friday’s decision was final and whether Do Kwon would have a chance to appeal. Because the Montenegrin court ruled in August that Do Kwon should be extradited to South Korea as a priority. The local Supreme Court has repeatedly changed its decision on whether Do Kwon should be extradited to the United States or South Korea. Do Kwon and his lawyers have been fighting for extradition to South Korea instead of the United States.
The reason is speculated that in addition to homesickness, the penalties for white-collar crimes in South Korea are usually lighter than those in the United States. This is also Do Kwon's wishful thinking. Han Chang-joon, the former chief financial officer of Terraform Labs who was previously arrested together with him in Montenegro, was extradited to South Korea in May this year to stand trial.
Do Kwon’s lawyer also told the media about the latest decision that the Attorney General’s refusal to make a decision in accordance with Do Kwon’s wishes involves a violation of his client’s basic human rights, defense rights and legal remedies.
However, this extradition to the United States may be the final decision. The country’s prosecutors advocate that the final decision on extradition rests with the Minister of Justice of Montenegro. This may bring an end to the standoff between the United States and South Korea over the extradition of Do Kwon.
