South Korea's National Assembly launched a two-day hearing on Tuesday, December 30, to investigate Coupang's massive data breach affecting 33.7 million customers, following the presidential office's emergency meeting last week. Disputes persist between the government and company over the breach's scope, with the main opposition party boycotting the proceedings.
Following the presidential office's emergency meeting on December 25 and ongoing investigations, the National Assembly's hearing—spanning two days from December 30—involves six committees, including science and ICT, scrutinizing the breach and alleged unfair practices. Thirteen current and former executives are witnesses, though founder Kim Bom-suk, Vice President Yoo Kim, and former Korea CEO Kang Han-seung will be absent.
Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, who previously contradicted Coupang's minimization of the leak during a December 30 parliamentary session, expressed concerns over the company's uncoordinated announcements. Coupang attributed the November 29 breach to a former employee using stolen keys, claiming limited data was saved and deleted without third-party sharing. However, joint probes confirmed leaks of names, emails, addresses, and order details from over 33 million users.
Seoul police continue investigating after Coupang submitted the suspect's laptop on December 21 but withheld internal analysis, which Police Chief Park Jeong-bo called 'unusual.'
Coupang announced a 1.68 trillion won ($1.17 billion) compensation plan on December 29, offering 50,000 won in discounts and coupons per affected customer starting January 15. Interim CEO Harold Rogers pledged customer-centric reforms, but consumer groups dismissed it as inadequate.
Separately, customs authorities inspected Coupang's office on December 29 over foreign exchange transactions with its U.S. headquarters. Founder Kim issued his first public apology on December 28.
