Presidential office holds urgent Christmas meeting over Coupang data breach

Coupang delivery trucks are seen at a parking lot in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

The presidential office on Thursday convened an urgent meeting of senior officials and ministers over a massive customer data breach at Coupang, amid intensifying criticism of the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant's slow response to the incident.

The meeting, convened by Presidential Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom on Christmas, was widely seen as signaling President Lee Jae Myung's intent to pursue swift follow-up measures.

Attendees included Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon; Song Kyung-hee, chair of the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC); Kim Jong-cheol, chair of the Korea Communications Commission; and Ju Biung-ghi, chair of the Fair Trade Commission. Officials from the National Police Agency were also present.

Notably, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and officials from the Office of National Security joined the meeting, reflecting concerns that the controversy could spill over into broader Korea-U.S. relations amid Coupang's extensive lobbying activities in Washington.

Officials in Seoul appear increasingly wary of the company's suspected ties to U.S. officials and lawmakers. According to U.S. Senate lobbying disclosures, Coupang has spent at least $10 million on lobbying in the United States since August 2021.

Thursday's meeting followed the president's call for tougher responses to corporate data breaches, with the Coupang case cited as a key example.

Speaking at a policy briefing held by the PIPC on Dec. 12, Lee urged harsher penalties for companies involved in repeated personal data leaks, saying such firms must face consequences severe enough to make them fear going out of business.

The massive data breach, which was disclosed in November, affected 33.7 million Coupang users. The case has since escalated, with lawmakers and consumer groups accusing the company of a lack of transparency and accountability.

Political backlash intensified last week after Coupang founder and de facto head Kim Bom-suk, also known as Bom Kim, failed to appear at a parliamentary hearing convened to address the breach.

The National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee filed a complaint against Kim, accusing him of violating a law that requires witnesses to attend hearings and cooperate with investigations.

The Assembly is scheduled to hold another two-day hearing starting Dec. 30. Lawmakers have warned that additional complaints could be filed if Kim again fails to appear.