The Democratic Party of Korea said it will push for a National Assembly standing committees "joint hearing" on Coupang, which has not issued an apology or measures to prevent a recurrence even after a large-scale personal information leak. After the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee hearing the previous day effectively ended "empty-handed," the intent is to comprehensively examine not only the information leak but also labor issues such as industrial accidents to press for countermeasures. The hearing is expected to include the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, the National Policy Committee, the Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee, and the Energy, Environment and Labor Committee.
Heo Yeong, the Democratic Party floor senior deputy chief for policy, said at a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly on the 18th, "Watching the Coupang personal information leak incident at the National Assembly yesterday, the public likely felt anger and futility," adding, "The Democratic Party will also swiftly push consecutive hearings by the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, the National Policy Committee, the Land Committee, and the Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee."
Heo, the senior deputy chief, criticized, saying, "It would not be enough even if Chair Kim Beom-suk personally appeared to apologize and present recurrence prevention and compensation plans, but we are speechless at the brazenness and shamelessness of putting forward a foreigner who cannot communicate and does not know the details in a bid to wriggle out of this."
The Democratic Party initially pushed for a "Coupang parliamentary investigation," but appears to have shifted to holding a joint hearing first, given the urgency. Floor spokesperson Kim Hyeon-jeong said, "We are also reviewing a parliamentary investigation, but preparing for it takes more than a month," adding, "The Coupang (situation) requires timeliness, and a hearing can be formed immediately, so we are reviewing a joint hearing format."
At the joint hearing, strong sanctions such as business suspension and even revocation of business licenses are expected to be discussed.
At the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee hearing the previous day, Bae Kyung-hoon, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, said on the possibility of suspending Coupang's business, "We will actively discuss (a business suspension) with the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and go out for an on-site investigation."
Kim, the floor spokesperson, said, "The reason the Land Committee is included (in the joint meeting) is because the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) holds the licensing authority for (parcel delivery operators), and the Personal Information Protection Commission and the Korea Fair Trade Commission fall under the National Policy Committee," adding, "We will comprehensively delve into Coupang's late-night delivery issue, the issue of industrial accidents involving workers, and the issue of pressure on the investigation into unpaid severance, to uncover Coupang's fundamental problems and clearly hold it accountable with improvement plans and recurrence prevention measures."