The National Tax Service is conducting a special tax audit on Coupang, which was responsible for a large-scale leak of personal information. The agency is carrying out a comprehensive investigation, even deploying teams responsible for overseas transactions.
According to industry sources on December 22, the Investigation Bureau 4 and the International Transaction Investigation Bureau of the Seoul Regional Tax Office are conducting a tax audit on Coupang's Korean headquarters and Coupang Fulfillment Services in Songpa-gu, Seoul. It is reported that a total of about 150 investigators have been mobilized to secure accounting records and other materials necessary for the audit.
On the surface, the target of this investigation is Coupang Fulfillment Services, Coupang's logistics subsidiary. However, it is understood that the audit is effectively examining Coupang's overall business transactions. Investigation Bureau 4 of the Seoul office is responsible for irregular (special) tax audits, including probes into slush funds and tax evasion suspicions, in addition to regular audits.
The National Tax Service has also deployed the International Transaction Investigation Bureau, which handles overseas transactions, for this audit. This move is interpreted as an effort to investigate the profit transfer structure at the Coupang group level, including Coupang's U.S. headquarters.
An official from the National Tax Service stated, "We cannot confirm information regarding tax audits of individual taxpayers."
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