[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) has warned Coupang regarding its self-conducted investigation into a personal data breach, stating that the company will be held fully accountable if evidence was manipulated or false information was submitted. The police revealed that they were not informed of Coupang’s internal investigation until the company made its own announcement.

At a regular press briefing on the 29th, Park Jeong-bo, Commissioner of the Seoul Police, said, “If it is confirmed that evidence was manipulated or false information was submitted, and such actions are found to be illegal, Coupang will be held strictly accountable. Charges could include obstruction of justice or destruction of evidence.”

Coupang had announced on the 25th, a public holiday, that it had identified the individual responsible for the data breach. The company claimed, “All devices used to access customer information have been recovered. The individual accessed data for 33 million customers, but only approximately 3,000 accounts were stored, and these have all been deleted.” However, the police and a joint government-private investigation team were still conducting ongoing investigations when Coupang released its findings, raising concerns about potential contamination of evidence during the self-investigation.

According to the SMPA, Coupang voluntarily submitted devices used in the incident on the 21st, but the company independently conducted forensic analysis and questioned the suspect before informing the police, leaving law enforcement unaware of the self-investigation until the public announcement. A police official explained, “We were contacted on the 21st about the voluntary submission and received the devices that day. Coupang only explained the submission process; we were not informed about the internal investigation.” Commissioner Park added, “We also received no prior notice from any government agency regarding the submission of these materials.”

Despite Coupang claiming its investigation was conducted in close coordination with the government, the specific government agency involved remains unclear, fueling ongoing controversy.

The police have emphasized that their investigation will continue independently of Coupang’s self-reported findings. Commissioner Park stated, “We are currently analyzing the seized materials to accurately identify the suspect and collect evidence needed for questioning. The suspect, a former Chinese national employee claimed by Coupang, will be dealt with through international cooperation; there is no need to contact Coupang for this process.”

 

 

 

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