Watchdog to probe Coupang over complex account deletion procedure

Delivery trucks are parked at a Coupang logistics center in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Korea's media watchdog said Thursday it will launch a fact-finding probe into e-commerce giant Coupang over allegations that the company made its account deletion procedure deliberately complex, following a massive data breach.

The Korea Media Communications Commission (KMCC) said it will examine whether Coupang's current account deletion procedure violates the Telecommunications Business Act, which prohibits service providers from restricting users' rights to cancel or terminate their accounts.

The probe comes amid criticism that users who wish to delete their Coupang account must go through excessive steps, including entering their password twice, completing a survey and performing other procedures.

"Such steps to terminate accounts are seen to cause significant inconvenience to users, and we have launched an emergency investigation," the KMCC said in a release.

The KMCC said it plans to impose fines and corrective orders if it identifies any violations by Coupang under the business act.

Last week, the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant said the personal information of 33.7 million customers had been compromised, indicating that personal information, including names, phone numbers, email addresses and delivery details for nearly all Coupang members, was affected.