{"id":49895,"date":"2026-06-11T20:14:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T20:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/49895\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T20:14:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T20:14:39","slug":"s-korea-hits-coupang-with-record-fine-over-e-commerce-data-leak-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/49895\/","title":{"rendered":"S.Korea hits Coupang with record fine over e-commerce data leak"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> Coupang’s fine is by far the largest ever penalty for a data leak in South Korea (ANTHONY WALLACE) \u00b7 ANTHONY WALLACE\/AFP\/AFP <\/p>\n

South Korea hit e-commerce giant Coupang with a record $408 million fine Thursday over a leak that allegedly exposed more than 30 million customers’ data and has provoked the ire of US lawmakers. <\/p>\n

Coupang, the country’s largest online retail platform, signalled in a statement that it would challenge the fine in court. <\/p>\n

The government’s move caps a months-long probe into Coupang, which is incorporated in the United States. <\/p>\n

Allegations of a massive data leak first surfaced in November and have become an unexpected source of friction between Seoul and Washington. <\/p>\n

Seoul’s Personal Information Protection Commission said it would “impose a total of 624.68 billion won in fines… on Coupang for violating safety obligations and collecting personal data without legal grounds”. <\/p>\n

It is by far the largest ever penalty for a data leak in South Korea — far exceeding the previous record of a $88 million fine imposed last year on mobile carrier SK Telecom. <\/p>\n

“Inadequate basic safeguards, including poor management of authentication signing keys and lax access controls” caused the personal data of around 37.5 million users to be exposed, the commission said in a statement. <\/p>\n

Coupang has maintained that only 3,000 customer records were involved. <\/p>\n

Commission chair Song Kyung-hee told a press briefing Thursday that the retail giant should have notified affected individuals within 72 hours. <\/p>\n

But Coupang “delayed breach notifications”, she said. “As a result, those individuals were unaware of the breach and deprived of the opportunity to take steps to prevent secondary harm.” <\/p>\n

Coupang on Thursday apologised for causing concern to customers and the public, vowing to strengthen its data protection framework. <\/p>\n

“However, we regret that proactive measures taken to prevent secondary damage and explanations based on clear facts regarding last year’s data breach were not sufficiently reflected” in the commission’s decision, it said. <\/p>\n

“After receiving the commission’s official ruling, we expect the facts to be clearly established through legal procedures,” Coupang added. <\/p>\n

– US dispute – <\/p>\n

The commission also said Coupang had “unlawfully collected the online activity records of about 11.17 million users on third-party websites and apps, and stored them in a database in a state that allowed individual identification”. <\/p>\n

In April, South Korean lawmakers sent a joint letter raising concerns over “undue pressure” from US politicians regarding Seoul’s investigation into the e-commerce giant. <\/p>\n

The letter, co-signed by nearly 100 MPs, followed accusations by US Republicans that the probe into the US-listed company constituted “discriminatory regulatory actions” against American businesses. <\/p>\n

The dispute has also reportedly affected high-level security talks between the two allies, according to local media. <\/p>\n

Washington is said to have warned it would halt such talks unless the legal protections of Coupang chairman Kim Bom — an American citizen also known as Kim Bom-suk — were guaranteed. <\/p>\n

The Coupang fine will “again draw backlash from the US” for its size, said Kim Dae-jong, professor of business at Sejong University in Seoul. <\/p>\n

“Given it’s far more than the previous high imposed on SK Telecom, Washington is expected to protest the move, with the view that it is an over-the-top measure,” he said. <\/p>\n

“Coupang is certain to challenge the move by taking it to court,” Kim added. <\/p>\n

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