Ministry of Science and ICT: "Strong Protest Against Coupang's Unilateral Announcement During Ongoing Investigation"

Coupang's Announcement Called a "One-Sided Claim"
Joint Public-Private Investigation Team Probing Information Leak
Coupang: "Former Employee Responsible for Data Leak Identified"

The Ministry of Science and ICT has refuted Coupang's announcement that a former employee, identified as the source of the customer information leak, had stored information from only about 3,000 accounts, calling it a "one-sided claim."

On the 25th, the Ministry stated, "We have strongly protested to Coupang for unilaterally disclosing to the public matters that are still under investigation by the joint public-private investigation team."

On the 25th, a Coupang delivery vehicle is parked in a parking lot in downtown Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

Earlier that day, Coupang said in a press release, "We have identified the former employee responsible for leaking customer information. The individual has confessed to all actions and has provided detailed statements on how they accessed the customer information."

The company further explained that while the perpetrator used stolen security keys to access basic information of 33 million customer accounts, only information from about 3,000 accounts was actually stored.

In response, the Ministry of Science and ICT stated, "The joint public-private investigation team is thoroughly investigating the types and scale of the information leak, as well as the circumstances surrounding it," and added, "The claims made by Coupang have not been confirmed by the investigation team."