Coupang plans to issue a public apology from top management over the massive data leak. It appears it will be in the name of CEO Park Dae-jun, not Bom Kim, chair of the Coupang Inc. board.
According to the industry on the 30th, Coupang is reviewing a public apology by top management in connection with the data leak. Separate from the notice sent to customers that day, the company is preparing a management apology statement, but the exact format and schedule have not been set.
The public apology is expected to be issued in the name of CEO Park Dae-jun, not Chair Bom Kim. Coupang said that since Kim has stepped down from official positions in Korea and oversees global operations in the United States, Taiwan, and elsewhere, Park, who is responsible for domestic operations, should take the lead.
Starting that morning, Coupang held an emergency response meeting at headquarters with Park and other executives. In the afternoon, a meeting of a government-led public-private joint investigation team was held, and Park and other executives were also said to have attended.
Coupang said that 33.7 million customer accounts were leaked without authorization that day. The company initially announced on the 18th that information from 4,500 accounts had been leaked, but follow-up investigations confirmed leaks from more than 7,500 times that number of accounts.
It was estimated that unauthorized access to data began on June 24 this year via overseas servers. While police have launched an investigation, there is speculation that it was an insider act rather than an external intrusion such as hacking. Some have raised suspicions that a former employee with Chinese nationality has already left the country.