Song Kyunghee PIPC Chair: "Coupang’s Cooperation Insufficient... Active Response to SKT Lawsuit"

Chairperson Song Kyunghee's New Year's Press Briefing
"Coupang Investigation Will Not Consider US Trade Factors... Appropriate Measures Will Be Taken"
"SK Telecom's Claim That the Fine Is Unjust Is Not Valid"

Song Kyunghee, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, stated her intention to conduct a thorough investigation regarding the large-scale personal information leak at Coupang. She also announced plans to actively respond to the administrative lawsuit filed by SK Telecom, which is contesting the Commission's imposition of a fine.

At the Personal Information Protection Commission press corps New Year's meeting held on January 21 at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, Chairperson Song remarked, "Coupang did not provide sufficient cooperation in submitting requested materials during the investigation process. There were also numerous shortcomings in their response after the leak incident," pointing out these issues.

Song Kyunghee PIPC Chair: "Coupang’s Cooperation Insufficient... Active Response to SKT Lawsuit"

Song Kyunghee, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, is delivering a greeting at the Personal Information Protection Commission press corps New Year's meeting held on the 21st at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Provided by the Personal Information Protection Commission

She further stated, "There were issues with data deletion during the investigation, and such problems continue to arise throughout the process," adding, "We will establish stronger legal grounds to enhance the Commission's investigative authority." The Personal Information Protection Commission has currently assigned 14 investigators to the Coupang personal information leak case, which, according to Chairperson Song, is a larger team than was assigned to the SK Telecom hacking incident.

Regarding criticism from the US Congress that the push for sanctions against Coupang amounts to a "witch hunt," Chairperson Song said, "We do not consider whether Coupang is a domestic or foreign company to be important. We will strictly examine any violations of the Personal Information Protection Act and impose appropriate measures accordingly." She also clarified, "We are not taking trade variables into account."

In response to SK Telecom's administrative lawsuit against the Commission's fine, she said, "We will respond proactively." Chairperson Song refuted SK Telecom's claim that the fine is unjust because the company did not gain any unfair profit, stating, "The fine was imposed to hold the company accountable for failing to properly control personal information during its retention, storage, and use, which resulted in harm to data subjects."

Previously, the Personal Information Protection Commission imposed a record fine of 134.8 billion won last year on SK Telecom for a personal information leak caused by a USIM hacking incident.

She also reiterated her intention to shift the personal information protection system from post-incident sanctions to a focus on prevention. Chairperson Song said, "Many of the (personal information leak) incidents identified during investigations stemmed from a lack of basic management, inspection, and control," emphasizing, "Risks must be managed from the design stage to prevent incidents from occurring."

She stated that sanctions against companies responsible for major leak incidents would be further strengthened. Chairperson Song explained, "We are working to introduce a special punitive fine system that allows for penalties of up to 10% of total sales for serious or repeated violations. This is not aimed at harsher punishment, but rather at establishing a structural mechanism that recognizes personal information protection as a prerequisite for business management."

Regarding her reflections on reaching 100 days in office, she said, "As public awareness of personal information protection has greatly increased, it is difficult to respond quickly with the current personnel structure of the Commission. We will work on expanding our workforce, while also developing various policies and preparing new legislation at the same time."