According to a South Korean court, CEO Jeong Sang-ho used a fake virtual asset trading license for the Delio exchange, which he used to promote the business to users.

A botched search of the platform's server host cost prosecutors the bulk of their case, cutting it from 2,800 alleged victims to about 1,100.

The sentence is shorter than the 20-year term that prosecutors sought, as the judge acquitted Jeong of a primary charge.