Buterin has been in South Korea to attend a series of events, including an Ethereum-related conference.
However, cryptocurrency enthusiasts were surprised to see him walking on the streets of Pangyo, a tech-focused town in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province—and even working on a laptop at a café.
Vitalik Buterin Returns to South Korea
The Ethereum co-founder delivered a keynote speech at the ETH Seoul 2024 event. Neowiz, a gaming industry giant, hosted this event at their headquarters in Pangyo on March 30.
However, it seems Buterin extended his stay in the city. Pangyo is also home to the headquarters of tech companies like Ahnlab and Naver.
Leading IT conglomerates such as Kakao, Samsung, and SK also have significant activities in Pangyo.
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts in South Korea rushed to social media platforms like X to affirm that they saw Buterin in Pangyo on March 31.
카페에
갔는데
이 아저씨
만날 확률은???
왜 우리나라 카페에 앉아서 있는거죠??ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ
이더 하나만요!!! pic.twitter.com/xMjfCHI0zm— 메이데이의 일상 투자이야기 (@gosh__2002) March 30, 2024
A social media user posted a photo of Buterin seemingly working on a laptop at a café in Pangyo.
Social media users pointed out that there were “four or five cups of water” on Buterin’s table, indicating that he had been working at that café for quite some time.
비탈릭 부테린 한국 출몰
근데 얘는 볼때마다 의문인게
돈도 엄청 많은데 왜케 마르고 없어보이는건지 pic.twitter.com/ySRqFCGSim— Healthy Investing (@btc_tsla_keepgo) March 30, 2024
Another person posted a video of Buterin walking on a street in Pangyo, glancing at his mobile phone as he walked.
The posts and sightings caused a stir, with some commenting that Buterin “looks like a regular resident” of the city.
Related: Vitalik Buterin Shares Views on Memecoins
Enthusiasm for ETH in South Korea
Buterin’s most recent visit to South Korea may be his longest stay yet. According to Maeil Kyungjae, Buterin also attended a web3-related event called BUIDL Asia 2024 in Seoul’s Songpa district on March 27.
Thank you so much for attending BUIDL Asia 2024! Please follow our news for upcoming plans🦄
It was a lot of magical content – videos will be ready in the upcoming weeks!💗 pic.twitter.com/5i8kBuwcuJ
— BUIDL ASIA (@buidl_asia) March 29, 2024
Ethereum (ETH) is highly popular in South Korea, where even senior judges claim to own ETH.
Buterin visited the country in 2019 when he was invited to speak at a special meeting convened at the National Assembly.
There, he emphasized that blockchain technology and cryptocurrency assets are “virtually inseparable.”
At that time, the South Korean government was trying to promote a “blockchain without cryptocurrency” policy. Companies and government agencies were encouraged to develop blockchain networks without using tokens, instead of using protocols like Ethereum.
