An illegal bitcoin mining operation in Gwangju, South Korea, has been busted by the Gwangju metropolitan police agency. The details uncovered show that 14 individuals from 13 different companies in four separate industrial complexes in the city were mining bitcoin using cheap electricity designated for industrial operations.

The Hanam Industrial Complex housed six companies, the Pyeongdong and Nano Industrial Complexes housed three each and the Jeongok Complex housed one. Bitcoin mining requires an obscene amount of power and the nature of the currency, which becomes more and more difficult to mine as time passes, means it will continue to rise exponentially.

Companies residing in Industrial Complexes in Gwangju are supplied power at a subsidized rate; 10% cheaper than those operating outside. The companies had been in the sights of the police since May 2017 when they were first warned to cease their illegal mining operations. Each company employed 100-350 miners on the premises.

South Korea is one of the largest cryptocurrency traders in the world, however mining has been made illegal due to the continuously diminishing returns it offers. In November 2017, research conducted by Power Compare UK found that 159 countries consume less power in a year than bitcoin mining.