Coupang Fined Record 625 Billion Won in South Korea for Massive Data Breach and Illegal Data Collection - News and Statistics

Jun 11, 2026

South Korea has imposed a fine of 625 billion won on e-commerce company Coupang, according to a Reuters report published on June 11, 2026. The penalty, which is the largest data breach fine ever levied against a company in the country, stems from a major leak of customer information that occurred last year and the illegal collection of personal data.

The Personal Information Protection Commission stated that the New York-listed firm leaked personal data belonging to more than 33 million customers. The regulator also noted that Coupang failed to detect the breach within the 72-hour period required by law. Based on a Reuters calculation, the fine represents 1.4% of Coupang’s revenue of 45 trillion won in 2025.

Song Kyung-hee, the chairperson of the privacy regulator, commented during a briefing that the incident resulted from a lack of safety measures and systems at Coupang, rather than from sophisticated hacking. Following the announcement of the fine, Coupang issued an apology for causing concern to the public and its customers. However, the company expressed regret that its proactive efforts to prevent secondary harm from last year’s data leak, along with its explanations based on clear facts, were not sufficiently reflected in the regulator’s decision.

Coupang, which is headquartered in Seattle, generates most of its revenue in South Korea, where it offers fast delivery of groceries, food, and other goods. The penalty came after a government-led investigation earlier this year attributed the breach to management failure. South Korea’s science ministry previously stated that a former employee, who was a Chinese national, had stolen a security key and gained unauthorized access to customer accounts.

Song added that Coupang’s security system allowed a hacker to easily access the personal information of all its customers, even after the suspect had left the company. She also said the firm failed to detect an unusual increase in traffic to its customer data until it was alerted by a customer inquiry. Separately, the regulator found that Coupang’s marketing program illegally collected information on the online activities of approximately 11 million customers without their consent, according to Song.

The probes into the data breach have added to trade friction with Washington, amid concerns that Korean authorities had overstepped in their treatment of the U.S.-listed company, while the allies have been negotiating details on a trade deal struck last year. South Korea, however, stated that its investigation into Coupang was neither a trade nor a security issue and should be handled separately from the ongoing talks with Washington. According to Seoul-based IM Securities, the firm is estimated to control about 40% of South Korea’s logistics services, the largest market share among its peers.

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