A Coupang delivery truck is seen through a fence in one of the e-commerce company's logistics centers in Seoul on Dec. 7. [YONHAP]

A Coupang delivery truck is seen through a fence in one of the e-commerce company’s logistics centers in Seoul on Dec. 7. [YONHAP]

 
Coupang issued a renewed notice on Sunday regarding a recent data breach of its service, offering guidance on preventing secondary damage such as phishing scams.
 
“There was a past incident involving the leak of customer information,” Coupang said in the notice. “There has not been a new breach, but a follow-up to the notice issued on Nov. 29 to help customers avoid impersonation scams or phishing attempts related to the initial breach.”
 
 
Coupang had fixed the language used in its notice following a directive from the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) on Wednesday, which instructed Coupang to revise the terminology from “data exposure” to “data leak” and provide clearer information on how to minimize user damage. In an earlier statement, the company referred to the incident as an “exposure” of customer data. 
 
“We promptly reported the incident to authorities as soon as we became aware of the situation,” continued Coupang’s notice. “We are currently working with relevant government bodies, including the Ministry of Science and ICT, the National Police Agency, the PIPC, the Korea Internet & Security Agency and the Financial Supervisory Service.”
 
According to Coupang, the leaked information includes customer names, email addresses, delivery address books, entry codes for shared residential entrances and some order details.
 
“No [payment] card or bank account numbers, login information such as passwords or personal customs clearance codes were compromised — this has been confirmed multiple times,” the company emphasized, adding that the National Police Agency also stated that a comprehensive investigation has found no evidence so far of secondary damage linked to the leaked data.
 

Park Dae-jun, CEO of Coupang, attends the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee meeting to be questioned by lawmakers over the company's latest data leak, in western Seoul on Dec. 2. [NEWS1]

Park Dae-jun, CEO of Coupang, attends the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee meeting to be questioned by lawmakers over the company’s latest data leak, in western Seoul on Dec. 2. [NEWS1]

 
“We immediately blocked the unauthorized access path upon detecting the breach and have since strengthened our internal monitoring system,” said Coupang.
 
The company reminded users that it never asks customers to install apps via phone or text message. “Scammers may impersonate Coupang using smishing or phishing messages — do not click on suspicious links, and delete such messages immediately,” it warned.
 
The notice also advised caution against fake calls or texts pretending to be related to product reviews, part-time jobs or delivery drivers. “Coupang delivery drivers do not contact customers directly via phone or text, except in exceptional cases involving delivery or returns,” the company said.
 
However, customers who have saved shared entrance codes in their Coupang delivery address book are advised to change those codes.
 
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and concern that we have caused,” the company said. “All Coupang employees are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]