Coupang's "Self-Investigation" Becomes Trade Issue, Rogers Summoned by Police

Coupang Data Leak Emerges as Key Korea-U.S. Trade Issue
Rogers, Who Has Defended the Legitimacy of "Self-Investigation,"
Summoned for Police Questioning on the 30th After Repeatedly Ignoring Requests

Harold Rogers, Acting CEO of Coupang Korea, who has been accused of charges including destruction of evidence during the company's internal investigation and announcement of the massive personal information leak, will appear before the police on January 30. As sanctions and investigations concerning him have become a key issue in Korea-U.S. trade relations, attention is focused on what message he will deliver at the police photo line.

The Coupang Investigation Task Force (TF) of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency plans to summon Rogers to the police headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, for questioning at around 2 p.m. on this day. This marks the first summons for questioning since the TF was established a month ago. Rogers initially ignored two police requests to appear earlier this month but agreed to comply with the third request on January 14.

Harold Rogers, Acting CEO of Coupang, is responding to questions from committee members at the hearing held on December 31 last year by the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee to understand the Coupang breach incident, personal information leakage, unfair trade, labor environment conditions, and to prepare measures to prevent recurrence. Photo by Yonhap News

Rogers faces charges including obstruction of official duties by fraudulent means and destruction of evidence. Previously, on December 25, Coupang released the results of its internal investigation, stating that although the personal data of 3,300 individuals had been leaked, only the information of 3,000 people had actually been stored. The Ministry of Science and ICT dismissed this as Coupang's unilateral claim and requested a formal investigation, while the police also pointed out that the investigation was conducted without prior consultation, sparking controversy over a so-called "self-investigation."

The police plan to focus on how Coupang conducted its internal investigation while excluding investigative authorities, how the company contacted the former employee who is now a suspect and secured the key piece of evidence-a laptop-and whether there is any possibility that crucial evidence was damaged or destroyed. For the former employee of Chinese nationality, who has been identified as a key suspect, the police are continuing their investigation in cooperation with Interpol.

Meanwhile, Rogers left the country for a business trip on January 1, the day after the National Assembly hearing, and repeatedly ignored police requests to appear, drawing criticism for what was described as a "flight to evade investigation." In response, the police requested a travel ban for Rogers upon his re-entry into Korea, but the prosecution rejected the request, citing his voluntary return. As a result, there is now speculation that Rogers may leave the country again to evade the investigation as soon as the questioning is concluded.