For the most part, the rise of the cryptocurrency market has been largely fueled by positive factors. Bitcoin’s upward trajectory has been due to increased investor support, for example, which allowed it to break through the $3,000 a week ago. Now, that same digital currency has surpassed $4,000, but it seems to be because of the tensions involving North Korea’s nuclear missile threats.

As Forbes reports, Bitcoin prices are up by 780 percent compared to the start of the year. This is bound to make early investors incredibly happy with the currency, especially those who bought it for only a fraction of the price in the early stages of its launch.

Unfortunately, the reason for the boost in price is due to the prospect of a nuclear war, which directly affects the local currencies in the area. Specifically, the matter involving North Korea’s threats affects the yuan, the yen, and the won, with investors flocking to the digital currency to safeguard their finances.

The Southeast and East Asian markets have proven to be fertile grounds for cryptocurrency investors for a few years now. The prospect of a global nuclear crisis only serves to make the currencies not tied to any specific government or nation more appealing.

Gold saw a similar spike in value, as well, CNBC reports. As one of the publication’s contributors, Brian Kelly notes, the geopolitical tension gripping the world is great news for cryptocurrencies.

"Bitcoin is benefitting from geopolitical tensions - trading in Japan and Korea has increased significantly over the last few months," he said.

On that note, it’s worth pointing out that the rapid rise in price for the digital currency has a considerable risk in the form of a price pullback. At this point, it’s difficult to justify such a rapid rise in value. It’s clear that Bitcoin is here to stay, but not at this high of a price for so long.