The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's cyber investigation unit said on the 25th that it had voluntarily received from Coupang a written statement that the suspect allegedly wrote and a laptop used in the crime, following a personal data leak. Coupang reportedly handed over the related evidence to police on the 21st.
Police said they are analyzing whether the suspect actually wrote the statement and whether the items were used in the crime. A police official said they are thoroughly investigating to verify whether what Coupang claims is true.
Coupang announced its own investigation results that day. It said former employee A stole an internal security key obtained while employed and accessed the personal information of 33 million customers, but stored information for only about 3,000 accounts and did not transmit it externally or commit any further leaks.
Coupang also said it commissioned three global cybersecurity firms—Mandiant, Palo Alto Networks, and Ernst & Young Global Limited (EY)—to investigate, and that digital forensics findings were consistent with A's account.
Coupang said it secured one laptop and four hard drives that A used to access customer information. After A damaged the laptop to destroy evidence, put it in a bag, and dumped it in a nearby stream, Coupang said it deployed divers based on A's statement and recovered the device.
Coupang said it is currently cooperating with the government's investigation. However, the Ministry of Science and ICT issued a position saying it strongly protested that Coupang unilaterally disclosed to the public matters under review by the public-private joint investigation team.