The Democratic Party of Korea submitted a request for a parliamentary investigation into Coupang's large-scale personal information leak. As Kim Beom-suk, chair of the Coupang Inc. board, failed to appear at the National Assembly joint hearing held on the 30th–31st, citing "residing overseas," the party said it will unconditionally summon Kim for the parliamentary investigation.
Kim Hyeon, the ruling party secretary of the National Assembly's Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee, and Kim Young-bae, the ruling party secretary of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, submitted a request for a parliamentary investigation into the Coupang personal information leak to the National Assembly's bill office on the afternoon of the 31st.
Kim Hyeon said, "Although Kim was adopted as a witness during the parliamentary audit period over a worker death case, he failed to appear on the grounds that he resides overseas. The same goes for after the personal information leak," adding, "Kim must come into the country to provide responsible answers and present measures for compensation for damages."
He added, "Regarding a writ of accompaniment, because a parliamentary investigation is a matter of bipartisan agreement, if Kim remains unmoved even after the plan and witnesses are adopted, we will issue a writ of accompaniment," and said, "We will discuss what happens next at that time."
Kim Young-bae said, "Coupang's strategy is an attitude of going all-in on managing shareholders and the stock price in the United States, even at the cost of friction with our people and the government," adding, "If Coupang wants its corporate value recognized in the United States, removing the 'Kim Beom-suk risk' is a way to make American market capitalism healthier and contribute to the South Korea-U.S. alliance."
The parliamentary investigation will address ▲ the large-scale personal information leak ▲ worker death cases ▲ unfair transaction practices. Since the People Power Party has insisted on a parliamentary investigation instead of a hearing, it may participate in the investigation being pursued by the Democratic Party.
Kim Hyun-jung, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said, "Because the People Power Party said it could not agree to a joint hearing and demanded a parliamentary investigation, we naturally submitted it on that premise," adding, "On the parliamentary investigation into the Coupang situation, they must actively cooperate without other excuses."