South Korea Moves to Block Polymarket Days After Denmark Bans It Alongside 97 Other Sites

South Korea has authorised a block on Polymarket, becoming the latest jurisdiction to shut the prediction market out while it enjoys a far easier ride at home.

The Korea Media and Communications Commission approved the measure, though it is not yet clear whether internet service providers have applied it technically. The action was coordinated with the Korean National Police Agency, the National Gambling Control Commission and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. The agencies concluded that Polymarket "incites gambling tendencies" and that its operations run against the country's National Sports Promotion Act.

Polymarket argued it does not fall under the Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection Act and does not qualify as an "administrator" under Korean law. The National Gambling Control Commission rejected both arguments. The company has generally complied quickly once regulatory decisions land, even where it disputes the legal reasoning.

The Korean move follows Denmark. Through a decision of the Frederiksberg court on July 8, the Danish Gambling Authority won the right to block 98 websites offering unauthorised games of chance to Danish citizens, Polymarket among them. The regulator said the sites were purpose-built for the market, using Danish language, Danish currency, the Danish flag, native payment options, Danish customer service and locally targeted marketing.

Denmark's process is deliberate. The authority first sends a cease-and-desist letter asking operators to stop voluntarily, and only then seeks court authorisation to direct telecoms providers to apply a DNS block. It has blocked 870 sites since the practice began in 2012. Critics argue the approach achieves little because mirror domains reappear quickly.

Polymarket is now restricted in roughly 39 countries, including North Korea, Myanmar, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, China and Japan. That contrasts sharply with the United States, where its valuation runs into the billions and state-level pushback has not stopped it offering event contracts, though Baltimore has sued it alongside Kalshi and the New York City Council is investigating its marketing.