South Korea's cryptocurrency trading volume fell by 28% year-on-year in Q1, marking the steepest decline among major global markets, according to The Korea Times. The country's trading volume reached $69 billion, ranking second globally despite the downturn. Analysts attribute the decline to a significant shift in retail investor interest towards AI-driven semiconductor stocks, which have propelled the KOSPI index to a 196% increase over the past year, the highest among G20 nations.