First Meeting Held on December 23: Full Mobilization of the Ministry of Science and ICT, Personal Information Protection Commission, Fair Trade Commission, Police, and More
From Investigating the Cause to Examining Overall Corporate Operations
The government announced on December 23 that it has established a cross-ministerial task force (TF) to respond to the large-scale personal information leak incident at Coupang, and has begun a full-scale response.
The Ministry of Science and ICT held the first meeting of the "Coupang Incident Cross-Ministerial TF" at the Seoul Government Complex on this day, discussing the direction of the TF’s operations, including identifying the cause of the incident, determining accountability, resolving the issue swiftly, and taking rigorous measures. The TF is an intergovernmental consultative body comprising the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Personal Information Protection Commission, the Korea Communications Commission, the Financial Services Commission, the Fair Trade Commission, the National Intelligence Service, and the National Police Agency.
The government formed this TF, led by the Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, in response to growing public anxiety over the incident and the various allegations raised against Coupang at the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee hearing on December 17. The TF’s mandate extends beyond investigating the breach and responding to the personal information leak; it also aims to examine broader issues surrounding Coupang’s overall corporate operations.
The TF has set key priorities: investigating and prosecuting the breach, implementing measures to protect users, improving information security and personal data protection certification systems, and strengthening corporate accountability. The TF plans to respond swiftly through cooperation among the relevant ministries. The formation of this TF was decided as an emergency agenda item at the second meeting of the Ministers of Science and Technology held on December 18.
At the first meeting, the ministries shared their respective responses and discussed the operational direction of the TF to resolve the situation quickly and take firm action. Ryu Jemyoung, Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, stated, "We recognize the Coupang incident as a serious social crisis that has undermined public trust," adding, "Through the cross-ministerial TF, we will promptly investigate the cause of the incident, determine accountability, protect users, and strengthen corporate social responsibility."
He further emphasized, "The government will stand with the public and thoroughly uncover Coupang’s issues until all doubts and concerns are resolved, holding the company fully accountable to the end."
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