Park Daejun Resigns as Coupang CEO
Bom Kim's Closest Associate Rogers Takes the Helm
Coupang Inc in the U.S. Expected to Lead Crisis Response
Daejun Park, CEO of Coupang, who had pledged to "take full responsibility" for the massive personal information leak affecting 33.7 million people, abruptly resigned on December 10. With the CEO being replaced just over a week after declaring his commitment to accountability, industry observers are analyzing that the decision was effectively made by the board of directors at the U.S. headquarters.
Park stated on this day, "I deeply apologize for disappointing the public with this personal information incident," and added, "I feel fully responsible for both the occurrence and the handling of the incident, so I have decided to step down from all my positions."
Daejun Park, CEO of Coupang, appeared at the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee on the 3rd to respond to lawmakers' questions regarding the recent Coupang personal information leak issue. On the right is Brett Mattis, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Coupang. December 3, 2025. Photo by Hyunmin Kim
Previously, during a National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee inquiry, Park had said, "The CEO of the Korean entity bears full responsibility for the personal information leak," and added, "I will do my utmost to take responsibility until the end and ensure the situation is resolved." For this reason, the industry sees this resignation not as a simple voluntary departure, but as a de facto dismissal by the U.S. board, holding him accountable for the incident's resolution.
Harold Rogers, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and General Counsel of Coupang Inc., who is a close associate of Coupang founder and Coupang Inc. Chairman Bom Kim, has been appointed as the new CEO. Rogers, a Harvard Law School graduate and an expert in compliance and risk management, played a key role in meeting the strict disclosure and regulatory requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during Coupang's listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 2021.
This is the first time since its founding that Coupang has appointed an executive from its U.S. headquarters as the CEO of its Korean entity. Effectively, Rogers, the "second-in-command" to Chairman Kim, has been placed at the forefront. Going forward, Coupang Inc. plans to take an active role in addressing and resolving the personal information leak incident.
With Park's resignation, it has also become uncertain whether he will appear at the National Assembly hearing scheduled for the 17th. On December 9, the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee resolved to hold the hearing and decided to summon Bom Kim, Chairman of Coupang Inc.; Daejun Park, former CEO; Hansung Kang, former CEO; Brett Mattis, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO); Byunggi Min, Senior Vice President of External Affairs; and Yongwoo Cho, Vice President in charge of National Assembly and Government Relations, as witnesses.
After a person is designated as a witness, an official attendance request must be delivered for a legal obligation to appear to arise. It has been confirmed that the National Assembly resolved to hold the hearing and sent the attendance requests at the plenary session on December 9. Coupang has not yet responded regarding whether its executives will attend. Chairman Bom Kim has been designated as a witness by the National Assembly several times, but he has never appeared.
In response, Coupang stated, "We cannot confirm this matter."
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