Employee Caught Mining Ethereum in Seoul Arts Center

An employee of the prestigious Seoul Arts Center in the southeastern Gangnam district of Seoul has been suspended for two months for mining cryptocurrency in the basement of a building of the art center’s complex.

As first reported by the Korea Times, a report to the local representative of the neighborhood showed that an unnamed employee of South Korea’s top arts school was caught operating a small mining rig in the Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum.

Security guards of the building in question happened to walk into the depths of the building to find the small mining operation. It was clearly an unusual sight for them, and certainly something that could not have been sanctioned by the arts center. The operation included 2 graphics cards, a monitor, wifi router, and electrical equipment.

According to the employee, who admitted to mining Ethereum, the operation began late last year. The Korea Times failed to share when the operation began and when it was terminated. It is not clear why the security guards did not report the mining operation sooner if the basement where the operation took place is a regular part of their rounds.

The employee said he brought most of the equipment from home, with the exception of the monitors, which belonged to the arts center. He used his own mobile phone for the internet connectivity, but the electricity came from the arts center. The arts center estimated that in total, the operation cost about $274 worth of electricity, which the employee reimbursed in full.

He has been suspended from work for two months as punishment for his unauthorized activity. He earned an estimated $571 worth of Ethereum by mining.