Coupang founder apologizes over massive data breach, but refuses again to attend parliamentary hearing

Coupang founder Kim Bom-suk / Courtesy of Coupang

Kim Bom-suk, founder of Coupang, issued a public apology Sunday over a massive customer data breach at the e-commerce platform, saying the incident caused “great concern and inconvenience” to customers and the public.

The belated apology came nearly a month after the data leak was disclosed, as the government and the National Assembly have been stepping up their pressure to hold the e-commerce giant responsible for the incident. However, separately from the apology, he again refused to attend an Assembly hearing slated for Tuesday and Wednesday.

“As the founder and chair of Coupang’s board, I sincerely apologize on behalf of all employees,” Kim said in a statement over the incident, in which about 33.7 million customers' information was allegedly leaked.

He acknowledged that many customers were left feeling uneasy about the security of their personal information, and admitted that Coupang failed to communicate clearly in the early stages of the incident.

“I deeply regret the inadequate initial response and lack of communication,” he said, adding that his apology came too late.

Kim said Coupang has worked with the government over the past month to recover all leaked customer information and prevent further harm, while also pledging sweeping reforms.

“Looking back, it was a mistake not to express my apology and deep regret from the very beginning,” he said. “We will rebuild trust from the ground up and fundamentally overhaul our data security measures to ensure this never happens again.”

However, in his apology, Kim reiterated Coupang’s stance that all leaked customer data had been recovered in collaboration with the government. He said the company secured a statement from the former employee suspected of the breach, retrieved all storage devices involved and confirmed that the data stored on the suspect's computer was limited to about 3,000 cases and had not been distributed or sold.

The government has disputed this account. The Ministry of Science and ICT said that Coupang’s claims regarding the scope of the damage and the recovery of data have not been verified by the ongoing joint public-private investigation, describing the company’s announcement as a unilateral assertion.

As the company continued to publicly counter the government’s position, the dispute has evolved into an open confrontation, with both sides presenting competing accounts of how the investigation has unfolded.

The standoff has also expanded beyond domestic politics. Robert O’Brien, who served as national security adviser during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term, posted criticisms on social media of Korea’s parliamentary scrutiny of Coupang, framing it as regulatory pressure on a U.S.-based company.

As the controversy grew, Coupang issued statements in both Korean and English on Friday. In an English-language statement, the company said it had been “falsely accused” of mishandling the incident, a phrase that drew attention for its sharper tone compared with the Korean version, which read it had been "unfairly criticized."

Government officials responded by raising the level of scrutiny. A cross-ministerial task force has been formed to coordinate the response, involving multiple government agencies, such as the Ministry of Science and ICT, the National Intelligence Service, the police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Officials have said the task force will review the handling of the data breach as well as Coupang’s public communications, including claims made in overseas statements. The presidential office has also been briefed on the case as authorities seek to assess the broader implications.

The dispute is expected to come to a head this week, as a rare joint parliamentary hearing involving six standing committees is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. The committees cover policy areas including science and communications, national policy, land and transport, finance, labor and foreign affairs.

Kim, however, notified the Assembly that he will not attend the hearings, citing prior overseas commitments. This is the second time he is avoiding an Assembly hearing, following one on Dec. 17 in which Harold Rogers, who had been appointed to lead Coupang's Korea unit a week before, participated instead of Kim.

Rep. Choi Min-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, the chair of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, said on social media that Kim and the company "continue to ignore and ridicule Korea, its people and the National Assembly," adding that this is unacceptable.