Where Is Bom Kim?... Rogers, Coupang CEO, Draws the Line: "I Am Responsible for Korea"

Appeared as Witness at National Assembly Science and ICT Committee Hearing
"Will Do Our Best to Address Consumer Inconvenience and Prepare Compensation Plan"

Harold Rogers, the interim CEO of Coupang, issued a sincere apology regarding the massive data breach that exposed the personal information of 33.7 million individuals, stating, "I am truly sorry for causing concern and anxiety to the people of Korea."

Harold Rogers, the new CEO of Coupang, appeared at the hearing on Coupang's breach incident held on the 17th by the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

CEO Rogers made this statement as a witness at the hearing on the Coupang breach incident held by the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee on the 17th. However, when asked by committee members about the absence of Bom Kim, the founder and Chairman of Coupang Inc, who submitted a letter of non-attendance and did not appear at the hearing, Rogers responded, "Chairman Kim is the Chairman of Coupang Inc, and I am the CEO of the Korean entity," adding, "As the person with overall responsibility for Coupang Korea, I will sincerely answer any questions regarding this matter," thereby avoiding a direct answer.

When asked by Han Minsoo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, about his specific duties and objectives in Korea, Rogers replied, "I take the current situation very seriously and will do my utmost to address all concerns raised by regulatory authorities." He continued, "I will also make every effort to resolve any worries or inconveniences caused to consumers."

Regarding questions about compensation measures for this incident, Rogers stated, "Coupang is currently working closely with relevant authorities, including the Personal Information Protection Commission, Korea Internet & Security Agency, Ministry of Science and ICT, Korea Communications Commission, and the police, to focus on resolving the situation." He added, "We will prepare and announce a responsible compensation plan for customers along with the results of the investigation."

In response to Lee Junseok, a member of the Reform Party, who pointed out that former Coupang CEO Park Daejoon, who resigned as CEO just before the hearing, should not be promoted or given any new responsibilities in the future, Rogers said, "I do not expect such a thing to happen," and added, "To my knowledge, former CEO Park deeply acknowledged his responsibility for this incident and resigned."

Coupang announced that it plans to introduce passkeys, which have already been implemented in Taiwan, to the Korean market in the first half of next year. Passkeys are an authentication system that uses biometric recognition or personal identification numbers (PINs) instead of passwords. Brett Mathis, Coupang's Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), explained, "We plan to introduce passkeys to the Korean market in the first half of 2026," and added, "Since the number of users in Korea is extremely large, the process of launching the service will be somewhat more complex to ensure there is no inconvenience to customers."

Meanwhile, at the hearing, five Coupang representatives appeared as witnesses: CEO Rogers, CISO Mathis, Kim Myungkyu, CEO of Coupang Eats, Min Byungki, Executive Vice President of External Affairs, and Cho Yongwoo, Vice President in charge of National Assembly and Government Affairs. Chairman Kim, former CEO Park, and former CEO Kang Hanseung, who were also requested to attend, did not appear. Choi Minhee, Chair of the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee, stated, "We will file complaints against witnesses who did not appear," and added, "We will begin the parliamentary investigation procedures as soon as the hearing concludes."