Top bitcoin exchange says over $30 million in cryptocurrencies stolen

• 'Bitcoin Could Someday Consume 5% of Global Electricity' - Economist
• Secret offline Bitcoin vault found in Swiss mountains

Bithumb, an exchange based in Seoul, said in a notice on its website that all customer deposits and withdrawals have been suspended while it reviews the situation.

The notice didn't say how the theft of 35 billion won ($32 million) worth of cryptocurrencies occurred or which ones were taken.

Illustrated photo. Photo: Forbes

The exchange said it will compensate the loss from its own funds and that all customers' assets have been "securely saved" in the company's "cold wallet."

Bithumb said it will announce further information in due course.

It's the latest in a series of thefts reported by cryptocurrency exchanges in recent months.

Just last week, another cryptocurrency exchange in South Korea, Coinrail, said hackers stole about 30% of its virtual currencies.

South Korea emerged last year as one of the world's major markets for trading in bitcoin and other virtual currencies.