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 launched a dedicated pan-government task force (TF) in response to the large-scale personal information leak incident involving Coupang, and has begun full-scale countermeasures.
The Ministry of Science and ICT held the first meeting of the "Pan-Government Coupang Incident TF" at the Government Complex Seoul on the same day. The meeting addressed the causes of the incident, identification of responsibility, prompt resolution, and strict measures, as well as the operational direction of the TF. The TF is a pan-governmental consultative body, including 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 the TF, headed by the Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, in response to growing public anxiety over the incident and the various suspicions raised regarding Coupang at the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee hearing on December 17. The TF will not only investigate the security breach and respond to the personal information leak, but will also examine broader issues related to Coupang’s overall business operations.
The TF has set its main tasks as: ▲ investigation and prosecution of the security breach ▲ user protection measures ▲ improvement of information security and personal information protection certification systems ▲ strengthening corporate accountability. The TF plans to respond swiftly through close cooperation among the relevant ministries. The formation of this TF was approved as an emergency agenda item at the second meeting of the Ministers of Science and Technology held on December 18.
At the first meeting, each ministry shared its response status, and the operational direction of the TF was discussed to ensure a swift resolution and strict measures. Ryu Jemyoung, Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, stated, "We recognize the Coupang incident as a major social crisis that has undermined public trust," adding, "Through the pan-government TF, we will promptly investigate the causes, identify responsibility, protect users, and strengthen corporate social responsibility."
He further emphasized, "The government will stand with the people and thoroughly uncover Coupang’s problems, holding the company fully accountable until all public concerns and suspicions have been resolved."
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