On Dec. 25, Christmas Day, the presidential office will hold a minister-level meeting of related ministries to draw up measures for Coupang's massive personal data leak. According to the presidential office, Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom convened the Ministers of the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries tied to the Coupang incident, as well as the heads of the Personal Information Protection Commission, the Broadcasting and Media Communications Commission, the Fair Trade Commission, and the National Tax Service. Officials from investigative agencies, including the Korean National Police Agency, will also attend.
The meeting is expected to discuss consumer relief plans and additional personal information protection measures, including "strengthening economic sanctions," which President Lee Jae-myung has mentioned several times. The presidential office, in particular, notified the diplomatic and security line, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to convene. As Coupang has repeatedly avoided the National Assembly's request for Kim Beom-suk, chair of Coupang Inc., to appear, citing that it is a "U.S. corporations," the plan is to devise countermeasures and sanctions across all ministries.
The presidential office's decision to convene an emergency meeting on Christmas reflects the gravity of the matter. On the 11th, during a work briefing from government ministries including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, President Lee referred to the Coupang personal data leak, saying, "What '-pang' is it—aren't they blatantly breaking the law there too? They are not afraid of punishment at all," adding, "Economic sanctions are too weak, so they violate the law as often as they eat." In a work briefing with the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and others the next day, Lee also said, "From now on, we need to make them think, 'If we do wrong, the company will go under.'"
Earlier, on the 7th, Third Deputy Director for National Security Office Oh Hyun-joo said at a press briefing, "We are reexamining whether there are shortcomings in personal information protection measures," and added, "We are considering with related ministries what can be further strengthened within the year." This is why the third deputy director for security in charge of economic security and the director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) will also attend the meeting. It signals the intention to discuss a broad range of responses.
Plans to sharply raise penalty surcharges for violations by corporations and to grant the Fair Trade Commission "compulsory investigative authority" are also likely to be mentioned. On the 9th, in a closed Cabinet meeting, President Lee ordered a review of such measures. At the time, Lee asked Legislative Chief Cho Won-cheol to "review a plan to grant compulsory investigative authority to make punishment through economic sanctions a reality." He also cited Coupang's simple sign-up process and asked questions such as, "When leaving as a member, is the withdrawal process just as simple?"