[Reporter’s Notebook] Is Coupang Chairman Beomseok Kim Untouchable?

13-Hour Marathon Hearing by the Science and ICT Committee Yields Few Results
No Apology or Explanation from Coupang on Data Breach Incident
Domestic and Foreign Executives Focus on Shielding Chairman Kim
Political Circles and Consumers Criticize;

"If witness Kim Beomseok does not step forward, this organization will ultimately be unable to do anything."

This remark by Choi Minhee, Chairperson of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, on December 17 encapsulates the conclusion of the marathon hearing on the Coupang security breach, which lasted more than 13 hours. Chairperson Choi directly targeted Kim Beomseok, founder and chairman of Coupang Inc., stating, "The witness is exhausting the National Assembly and causing unproductive proceedings by dismissing former CEO Park Daejun and appointing a foreign CEO who does not speak Korean, thereby mocking the National Assembly and the people of Korea."

Chairman Kim is the de facto owner of Coupang, holding more than 70% of the voting rights through Coupang Inc. However, more than 20 days have passed since the massive personal data leak involving 33.7 million cases on November 29, and he has yet to issue any apology or explanation. For this hearing, he submitted a letter of non-attendance, citing "official business commitments as the CEO of a global company operating in over 170 countries worldwide." Nonetheless, the Korean and foreign executives who appeared as substitutes at the hearing could not explain where Chairman Kim was or what he was doing. When asked whether they would recommend that he apologize to the Korean public, they focused solely on defending him.

Harold Rogers, who was appointed as interim CEO of Coupang’s Korean entity just a week ago, deflected by saying, "As the representative and person in charge of the Korean entity, I believe I should be the one to apologize." Domestic executives such as Cho Yongwoo, Vice President for National Assembly and Government Affairs, and Min Byungki, Executive Vice President of External Relations, also avoided responsibility, stating, "I have personal thoughts, but as a company executive, I am cautious about expressing any judgment or opinion." Their actions, seemingly following a well-crafted script to avoid criticism and accountability directed at Chairman Kim, prompted accusations that they were behaving like a "mafia organization."

This personal data leak has exposed both Coupang’s inadequate security management system and its organizational culture of treating Chairman Kim as untouchable. While he emphasizes his status as a global CEO in an apparent attempt to evade responsibility for the incident, his influence remains absolute. In fact, it has been revealed that the CEO of the Korean entity reports to Chairman Kim through the Coupang Inc. board of directors, and contracts signed by Rogers and former CEO Kang Hanseung specify that "(Korean entity) executives shall perform their duties and responsibilities as designated by the company, the parent company, and under the direction of the CEO (Chairman Kim)."

The starting point for resolving this crisis, as persistently demanded by the government, political circles, Coupang employees, and consumers, is an apology and responsible attitude from Chairman Kim. The increasing severity of legal sanctions being discussed against Coupang-including not only fines but also business suspension and a parliamentary investigation-ultimately stems from his response to the situation. With Korean consumers, who account for 90% of Coupang’s sales, expressing outrage at being treated as "pushovers," Chairman Kim must personally respond with a sincere apology and take responsible action to restore trust.