Ju Biung-ghi, Chairperson of the Fair Trade Commission, said there is a possibility of ordering a suspension of business against Coupang, which suffered a massive personal information leak.
Chairperson Ju appeared on KBS "Newsline W" on the afternoon of the 19th and said, "We will mobilize all available means, such as dispute mediation and litigation support, to remedy consumer harm," and stated accordingly.
Earlier, personal information on 33.7 million customers was leaked at Coupang. A former Chinese employee was named as a suspect. While concerns rose over secondary harms such as voice phishing and smishing following Coupang's massive personal information leak, at the "Coupang personal information leak incident" hearing held at the National Assembly's Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee on the 17th, Coupang founder Kim Beom-suk did not appear, and only newly appointed CEO Harold Rogers, who is not proficient in Korean, was present.
As criticism mounted that Coupang was not showing a responsible stance, Chairperson Ju is seen to have made a determined remark. Chairperson Ju said, "If there is property damage to consumers, measures to restore it should be demanded of Coupang, and if Coupang does not properly implement them, a suspension of business can be ordered."
Regarding concerns that a suspension of business for Coupang, the No. 1 online e-commerce company in Korea, could greatly inconvenience users, Chairperson Ju said, "In lieu of that, we can impose a penalty surcharge."
Chairperson Ju, however, said that an investigation related to the personal information leak must come first. Ju said, "A joint investigation team's probe is currently underway," and added, "Holding someone accountable for the personal information leak is the first task."