National Assembly Holds Coupang Hearing on December 30
"The Ministry of Science and ICT Did Not Issue Any Instructions"
On December 30, Baek Kyunghoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, stated regarding Coupang's announcement of its own investigation into the personal information leak, "The Ministry of Science and ICT has not issued any instructions."
Deputy Prime Minister Baek made this statement at a National Assembly hearing held that day to address the "Coupang security breach and personal information leak, unfair trade practices, assessment of labor conditions, and measures to prevent recurrence."
In response to Coupang's claim that the investigation was conducted under instructions from the Korean government, Deputy Prime Minister Baek said, "The Ministry of Science and ICT is the competent authority for platform companies," and added, "The Ministry can request or issue instructions. However, the Ministry of Science and ICT has not issued any instructions."
He continued, "The National Intelligence Service (NIS) was mentioned because of concerns about the loss of laptops, desktops, and SSDs during the transfer process, as well as the potential for international exploitation of the incident. That is why the NIS assisted in the transfer process." He further emphasized, "The NIS does not have the authority to issue instructions to Coupang."
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