AI Token Craze in South Korea Puts Worldcoin at the Forefront

South Korean retail traders have taken their AI enthusiasm into the cryptocurrency market, according to data from Chainalysis. By June, AI tokens had become the most popular theme in won-denominated trading, with Worldcoin (WLD) seeing $7.41 billion in annual volume.

This demand contributed to a 12.3% expansion in South Korea's crypto economy, which reached $449.1 billion, even as the East Asian region saw a slight decline. The growth was mostly fueled by retail traders, as Korean banks and institutions continue to operate mainly on a trial basis.

AI Tokens' Share of Won Trading Is 19.5 Times Greater Than That of Yen Trading

The report found that AI tokens' percentage of won trading was 19.5 times higher than that in yen trading. This share also exceeded the corresponding figures for euro, British pound, and Brazilian real.

Chainalysis linked the AI investment trend to a preference among Korean retail traders for high-risk, high-reward opportunities. In equities, this trend has been spearheaded by SK Hynix.

According to the report, volumes of AI tokens in South Korea rose in tandem with the chipmaker's stock over the same period.

“By June of 2026, AI cryptocurrencies (digital assets of AI-focused projects or associated with AI infrastructure) were the single most popular thematically-defined investment category as measured by a share of won-denominated trading volume, beating out payment tokens like XRP,” the report read.

Worldcoin Tops a Packed List of AI Tokens in South Korea

The report identified multiple AI tokens that attracted significant Korean trading volume in the year ending June. The newcomer Sahara AI (SAHARA) contributed $3.2 billion, while Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) added $2.7 billion.

Bio Protocol (BIO) brought in $2 billion, and NEAR Protocol (NEAR) generated $1.7 billion. Leading the pack was Worldcoin with $7.41 billion, surpassing SAHARA's total by over two times.

In September, the AI token sector outperformed the broader market, according to Grayscale. The firm reported that AI crypto assets increased 54% that month, compared to 24% for the overall market. Grayscale added that WLD stayed among the sector's top performers.

According to data from BeInCrypto Markets, WLD has risen 44.28% over the last month, reaching $0.57155. It dropped 1.74% in the last 24 hours.

Last week, WLD gained 15% as most cryptocurrencies fell, according to BeInCrypto. Santiment did not attribute the movement to any particular catalyst. Despite the increase, WLD is still trading roughly 95% below its all-time high of $11.74 from March 2024.

Reduced Unlock Rate Coincides with South Korea's 2027 Crypto Tax Plan

Grayscale estimates the AI crypto sector's value at roughly $15 billion, making it the smallest among its six crypto sectors. Starting from this modest size, head of research Zach Pandl anticipates significant winners could emerge within five years.

This positive outlook, along with sustained demand from South Korea, may provide support for WLD. Supply pressure has also diminished. In April, World announced that daily WLD unlocks would decline by 43% from July 24, to approximately 2.9 million tokens.

A forthcoming tax could challenge demand. South Korea intends to implement a 22% levy on crypto profits starting January 2027, although legislators have previously postponed it.

South Korean traders tend to move rapidly between assets. Chainalysis observed that the top AI tokens of 2025, such as VIRTUAL and KAITO, have already been supplanted by WLD and SAHARA.

The tax outcome and this rapid rotation could determine whether WLD remains the leading AI token among Korean traders.