Response at the National Assembly Political Affairs Committee Inquiry on the 3rd
Coupang CEO Park Daejun stated regarding the large-scale personal information leak, "We will actively consider compensation for the victims." He also reiterated that there was no leak of payment information, which has been a concern among consumers. However, he did not disclose specific details about why the company failed to detect the customer information leak over several months or the exact route of the incident, citing an ongoing investigation.
Coupang CEO Daejun Park appeared at the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee on the 3rd to respond to inquiries regarding Coupang's personal information leak. Photo by Hyunmin Kim
During a policy inquiry at the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee on the 3rd, Assemblyman Kang Myunggu of the People Power Party asked Park whether the company was reviewing specific compensation plans or timelines. Park responded, "The investigation is still ongoing, but once the scope of the damage is determined, we will come up with a reasonable plan." He added, "This is not a legal assessment, but rather an acknowledgment that 'customers have suffered harm.'" This suggests that compensation plans will be formulated based on the confirmed scope of those affected by the information leak.
In response, Yoon Hanhong, Chair of the Political Affairs Committee, said, "Regardless of financial loss, the moment information is leaked, everyone whose data was exposed is a victim," and instructed Song Kyunghee, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, "You must establish this concept and, if necessary, take action even if it requires amending the law."
Park explained that, as far as the company has confirmed, there was no leakage of payment information, stating, "Payment information was not leaked, and because the networks are separated, payment data is not stored together." He also said, "We will work to quickly introduce passkey technology in Korea, as we have already implemented it in Taiwan, to enhance our security level." This was in response to Assemblyman Lee Heonseung of the People Power Party, who asked, "When you introduced passkeys in Taiwan, related materials about the incident in Korea were distributed to the Taiwanese media within two hours. Are you making profits in Korea but investing in Taiwan?" Passkey technology replaces passwords with built-in biometric authentication, such as fingerprints, to reduce the risk of hacking.
Meanwhile, when asked how a former employee of Chinese nationality was able to access Coupang's customer data and whether it is plausible for a single person to steal as many as 33.7 million customer records, Park declined to answer directly, saying, "Please understand that I cannot provide detailed information as this matter is under investigation."
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