Montenegrin government decides Kwon Do-hyung's extradition to the U.S.

[Anchor]

Key figure in the 'Terra-Luna' crash, Kwon Do-hyung, was arrested in Montenegro last March.

The question of whether to send him to the United States or South Korea has been a major point of interest.

Kwon's side wanted him to come to South Korea, where the maximum sentence for economic crimes is relatively low, but the Montenegrin government's judgment was different.

They decided to send him to the United States.

This is reporter Ahn Da-young.

[Report]

Montenegro, which had been indecisive about whether to send Kwon Do-hyung to South Korea or extradite him to the United States, has made a final decision.

The Montenegrin Minister of Justice signed an order on the 27th local time to extradite Kwon to the United States.

This decision was explained as a comprehensive consideration of the seriousness of the crime, the location of the crime, the order of the extradition request, and nationality.

Most of the criteria align with the U.S. authorities' extradition request.

Prior to this decision, Kwon argued that the authority to decide where to send him did not lie with the Minister of Justice and even filed a constitutional complaint, but it was not accepted.

Kwon Do-hyung's side, which had been seeking to go to South Korea instead of the U.S., immediately protested the decision to extradite him to the United States.

If he is tried in the U.S., he could face a sentence of over 100 years due to the legal system, while in South Korea, the maximum sentence for economic crimes is about 40 years.

Kwon gained attention for issuing the cryptocurrency Terra-Luna, but in 2022, as these two cryptocurrencies crashed, it is estimated that global investors suffered losses exceeding 50 trillion won.

He fled just before the crash, and was arrested in Montenegro.

Kwon's side has mentioned the possibility of appealing to the European Court of Human Rights as a last resort.

If Kwon Do-hyung actually takes his extradition issue to the European Court of Human Rights, the extradition process could be delayed for several more years.

This is Ahn Da-young reporting for KBS News from Paris.