The ruling and opposition parties sharply criticized the massive personal data breach at Coupang. The National Assembly is set to hold an emergency interpellation on the 2nd, summoning Coupang executives and the Personal Information Protection Commission.
Lee Un-ju, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on the morning of the 1st, "The leak of Coupang subscriber information is practically equivalent to exposing the personal data of almost all adult citizens of our country," adding, "The exposed information includes names, emails, phone numbers, delivery addresses, delivery contact numbers, and some order histories—in effect, all basic information related to personal identity."
Lee said, "Coupang reported the incident only after as many as five months had passed since the date presumed to be the first unauthorized access," adding, "They knew and left it unattended for five months, which feels less like negligence and more like intent."
Lee stressed, "If a Chinese national who worked at Coupang committed the crime and fled, that person should rightly be extradited to Korea," adding, "Given that the personal information of the vast majority of adult citizens of our country is presumed to have been transferred to China, we hope Chinese authorities will take necessary measures such as returning the information and prohibiting its distribution."
Song Eon-seog, floor leader of the People Power Party, also said, "An unprecedented worst-case scenario has occurred, with as many as 33.7 million people's personal information leaked at Coupang," noting, "It is presumed to be the act of a former Chinese employee already resigned from Coupang, and reports even say the culprit sent a blackmail email to Coupang after the leak."
Song said, "The Lee Jae-myung administration should not focus only on infringing on citizens' personal data for political purposes, such as censoring civil servants' mobile phones, but should mobilize all national capabilities to protect citizens' information and block secondary damage," adding, "We also urge a comprehensive and swift response, including a full inspection of the security systems of corporations holding personal information—such as large platforms, telecoms, and retailers—and measures to address factors threatening national security, including China's backdoor issues."
The National Assembly also plans to conduct an emergency interpellation on the Coupang data leak. The National Policy Committee will summon the CEO of Coupang and the chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission on the 3rd for an emergency interpellation. The Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee is also preparing an interpellation on the 2nd.