"Three Out of Ten Call for Coupang's Suspension... Public Outrage at Kim Beomseok's Attitude"

Realmeter Survey Commissioned by Tip-off Team Leader
512 Men and Women Aged 18 and Over Nationwide
32% Support Criminal Prosecution of Those Responsible, 29.4% Support Business Suspension
6 Out of 10 Support Bill to Ban Entry of Responsible Parti

Recently, following a large-scale personal information leak by Coupang that sparked public outrage, a survey found that 3 out of 10 people in South Korea believe that "criminal prosecution of those responsible" is the appropriate level of punishment for Coupang. Nearly 30% also said that the company should be suspended from business operations.

According to a survey conducted by Realmeter at the request of the Tip-off Team Leader on December 29, regarding public opinion on the appropriate level of punishment for Coupang’s large-scale personal information leak, "criminal prosecution of those responsible" was cited by 32% of respondents, the highest proportion. This was followed by "business suspension" (29.4%), "imposing fines" (14.3%), and "restrictions on new business" (6.1%).

Regarding the recent allegations of external pressure on the investigation into Coupang’s severance pay case, about 7 out of 10 people (67.3%) agreed that a comprehensive investigation should be conducted into all criminal and labor cases involving Coupang.

As for the actions of Chairman Kim Beomseok that provoked the greatest public outrage, the most frequently cited were "an attitude that appears to disregard the rights of Korean consumers and the application of domestic law by emphasizing the U.S. corporate structure" (23.3%) and "seemingly avoiding responsibility by putting the Korean corporation’s representative at the forefront, despite being the de facto controlling shareholder" (22.5%).

This was followed by "focusing more on lobbying U.S. politicians than on managing the aftermath of the incident" (18.6%), "allegations of ordering evidence destruction and concealing deaths from overwork" (13.5%), and "notifying non-attendance at the National Assembly hearing due to global management schedules" (6.5%).

In addition, 69.1% of respondents agreed with the criticism that Chairman Kim Beomseok is evading social responsibility by citing his American nationality, despite being the de facto controlling shareholder.

Regarding a proposed law to restrict or prohibit domestic entry of foreign executives who refuse to attend the National Assembly without valid reason, 63.2% expressed support.

Furthermore, 68.5% said that the recent social controversies surrounding Chairman Kim Beomseok, as reported in the media, have affected their use of Coupang’s services. Regarding "considering withdrawing from Coupang’s service," 26.1% responded affirmatively, while 18.5% said "I have not withdrawn yet, but I plan to reduce my usage," and 16.1% said "I have already withdrawn." In total, opinions related to so-called "quitting Coupang" accounted for 60%.

This survey was conducted on December 26 among adults aged 18 and older nationwide, using an automated response system via random phone calls. The overall response rate was 4.4%, with a total of 512 respondents.