Dunamu names new CEO as Lee Sirgoo steps down early

Dunamu, operator of South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, said Thursday that CEO Lee Sirgoo will step down early due to health reasons.

“I am stepping down as CEO as of July 1 due to personal reasons,” Lee said in a statement, adding that the decision reflects both health concerns and his belief that Dunamu now needs “new challenges and changes to achieve greater growth.”

He will remain with the company as an adviser following his resignation.

Lee’s departure comes unexpectedly, as his current term was set to run through December 2026.

Since becoming Dunamu CEO in 2017, he has helped transform the fledgling startup, founded in 2012, into a dominant exchange operator. Upbit holds over 80 percent of Korea’s crypto trading market and ranks seventh globally. Lee is widely credited with shaping the nation’s broader crypto ecosystem, now the world’s second-largest by trading volume.

Dunamu said it has nominated Oh Kyoung-suk, CEO of textile manufacturer Panko, as Lee’s successor.

A former judge and certified public accountant, Oh brings a broad background in law, finance and corporate leadership. After majoring in business management, he began his career as a certified public accountant at Samil PwC in 2001. In 2008, he entered the judiciary and served as a judge at the Suwon District Court, later joining leading law firm Kim & Chang as an attorney. He moved into business in 2016 by joining Panko and was named CEO in 2018.

Oh’s appointment will be finalized through board and shareholders meetings on June 27.