Appeared as a witness at the joint hearing in the National Assembly on the 30th
Reacted strongly to suspicions of a "self-investigation"
Repeatedly emphasized, "We followed government agency instructions"
Frequent displays of displeasure led to raised voices among committee members
Harold Rogers, Acting CEO of Coupang, responded passionately to the National Assembly, which raised suspicions of a "self-investigation" regarding the personal information leak incident, asking, "Why don't you share information with the Korean people?"
Harold Rogers, Acting CEO of Coupang, is speaking at the 'Coupang Joint Hearing' held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 30th. Photo by Kang Jinhyung
On the 30th, Rogers appeared as a witness at the "Hearing on Coupang's Security Incident and Personal Information Leak, Unfair Trade Practices, Labor Environment Assessment, and Measures to Prevent Recurrence" held at the National Assembly. In response to a question from Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Youngbae-"Who within Coupang instructed the internal contact with the leaker, took their statement, and ordered the investigation?"-Rogers raised his voice, stating, "A government agency instructed us, and we followed those instructions. The Korean people should know this."
Even when Assemblyman Kim clarified his question, asking specifically who within Coupang ordered the investigation into the leaker, not a government agency, Rogers repeatedly emphasized, "A government agency gave the instructions, and we simply followed them." He further pressed, "Don't the Korean people deserve to know this information? Why are you hiding it from the public? I don't understand," showing clear frustration.
As a result, members of the hearing committee criticized Rogers's attitude in his responses, leading to heated exchanges. Choi Minhee, Chair of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, remarked that interpretation did not seem to be proceeding properly and reiterated the main point of the question, but Rogers remained visibly agitated. Chairperson Choi stated, "Coupang is recklessly trying to drag the Korean government into a truth game with an audacious and unacceptable strategy." Assemblyman Kim also responded sharply, saying, "We really can't just let this go. Are you playing games with the public? Is this how Coupang is run?"
Previously, on the 25th, Coupang announced the results of its investigation into the personal information leak, stating that, following government instructions, it identified the former employee responsible for the leak and secured both the leaker's statement and storage devices. The company also emphasized that the customer information stored on the leaker's computer was limited to 3,000 records and confirmed that this information was neither distributed externally nor sold. However, both the police and the Ministry of Science and ICT, who were in charge of the investigation, refuted Coupang's claims, stating that there had been no consultation with Coupang, which sparked controversy over whether Coupang had conducted a self-investigation to downplay the incident.
On this day, when Assemblywoman Hwang Jeonga asked whether his previous claim that the investigation was conducted under government direction was still valid, Rogers reiterated, "It was not an internal investigation, but one conducted under government instructions." When asked which government department he had worked with, he replied, "I understand that the National Intelligence Service has confirmed this publicly." Regarding whom he communicated with, he stated, "I will provide the name of the official with whom I communicated about this matter."
He explained, "The agency told us that we needed to cooperate with the investigation and repeatedly requested that we contact the information leaker. At first, we refused, but we understood that, under the relevant law, we had to follow the agency's instructions, so we met the leaker in China." He added, "The agency requested that we create a forensic copy and deliver it to them, which we did, and the original is with the police. We did not conduct the forensic analysis ourselves."
Regarding this, Ryu Jemyoung, Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, stated, "Coupang is unilaterally claiming that it conducted an internal investigation under the direction of a government agency and in accordance with those instructions," and emphasized, "Once again, I want to make it clear that no government agency has ever instructed or intervened in Coupang's internal investigation."
Harold Rogers, CEO of Coupang, is attending the 'Coupang Joint Hearing' held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 29th. 2025.12.30 Photo by Kang Jinhyung
Additionally, during the hearing, Rogers repeatedly raised his voice and expressed displeasure, drawing criticism from committee members. There were several instances where he interrupted the committee members' questions and responded loudly when they requested simple 'yes' or 'no' answers. When asked about the use of the word 'false' in Coupang's previously released English apology, he said, "We are cooperating faithfully in accordance with the Korean government's instructions. However, there is misinformation suggesting that we are not cooperating with the government. Do you really think we acted arbitrarily?" He also appeared visibly agitated, tapping the table with his finger.
At the beginning of the hearing, there was a dispute over the use of simultaneous interpretation devices. Chairperson Choi stated, "Last time, the interpreter brought by Rogers rephrased the most critical points, so we have prepared simultaneous interpretation devices," and requested that Rogers wear one. However, Rogers refused, saying, "I was permitted to bring my interpreter." Democratic Party lawmaker Noh Jongmyun said, "If you respect the National Assembly and the legal system of the Republic of Korea, please wear the simultaneous interpretation device," but Rogers replied, "This is not normal. I would like to raise an objection." Chairperson Choi responded, "I will not accept your objection," and refused his request.
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