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Photo: Coupang |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] The South Korean government has issued a strong warning to Coupang over its recent handling of security and data breach incidents.
On the 29th, the government announced that it convened a pan-government task force (TF) meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon to address the situation surrounding Coupang.
During the meeting, the government strongly criticized Coupang’s response to recent security breaches and personal data leaks, vowing to take comprehensive and coordinated countermeasures.
The task force includes officials from the Personal Information Protection Commission, National Police Agency, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Fair Trade Commission, National Tax Service, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, National Intelligence Service, Financial Services Commission, Korea Communications Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
The government emphasized that the incident should not be viewed as a mere internal corporate issue but as a serious matter directly related to personal data protection in the digital platform era, corporate accountability, worker safety, fair market order, and legal compliance across the logistics and distribution sectors.
Authorities stated that they will conduct a thorough and uncompromising investigation to eliminate any remaining doubts.
Key discussions focused on swift and rigorous investigations. Relevant agencies will divide responsibilities and proceed promptly:
The Ministry of Science and ICT will examine the cause of the incident and Coupang’s security vulnerabilities.
The Personal Information Protection Commission will assess the scale of data leakage and potential violations of personal data protection laws.
The Financial Services Commission will investigate possible fraudulent transactions and high-interest loan practices.
The National Police Agency will focus on evidence analysis and international cooperation to apprehend suspects.
In addition, the Fair Trade Commission will determine whether to impose business suspension penalties by reviewing potential misuse of personal information, consumer financial harm, and Coupang’s remediation efforts.
The Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Communications Commission are also investigating whether Coupang’s complex membership withdrawal process violates the E-Commerce Act or the Telecommunications Business Act.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Employment and Labor will inspect Coupang’s compliance with worker safety and nighttime labor protections, while the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to work with the National Assembly’s Euljiro Committee to establish protective measures for logistics workers.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
