🚨 The dust has settled— the man who once caused global investors to lose everything has finally waited for the hammer of justice.

Do Kwon, the creator of the Terra ecosystem, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Korean court. The charges? Fraud, market manipulation, illegal profits. This founder, who once shouted "Algorithm Stablecoin Revolution," has given the entire industry a bloody lesson with an epic collapse.

Looking back to May 2022, the death spiral of LUNA and UST evaporated over $40 billion in market value within just 72 hours. Countless retail investors were wiped out overnight; some went bankrupt, others chose extreme ways to end their lives. The mastermind behind this disaster was arrested after fleeing for months, and now he is finally paying the price for his arrogance.

**The warning bell of regulation has already sounded**

The Korean court in its verdict stated frankly: "The defendant systematically deceived investors and manipulated market prices to reap profits, and their actions are extremely malicious." This is not just a court ruling but a clear signal from global regulators— the crypto space is no longer beyond the reach of law.

From the US SEC’s series of lawsuits against various projects to the implementation of the EU’s MiCA legislation, compliance has shifted from an "option" to a "lifeline." Projects that deceive under the guise of innovation are awaiting increasingly tighter legal scrutiny.

**The market is purifying itself through pain**

In the short term, such major cases may increase public distrust of cryptocurrencies. But in the long run, clearing out bad actors is an essential step for the industry’s maturity. When bad money is driven out, protocols that truly focus on underlying technology can gain the attention and resources they deserve.

Do Kwon’s downfall serves as a wake-up call for all investors: projects promising "20% annual stable returns" are fundamentally challenging financial common sense. Open-source code does not imply a sound mechanism, and a founder’s glossy resume cannot hide the essence of a Ponzi scheme. DYOR (Do Your Own Research) has never been more important than it is now.

This case will be written into the textbooks of crypto history, serving as a lesson passed down from generation to generation. The $40 billion tuition has already been paid; at least it should bring some clarity.