Coupang said it obtained a confession from a former employee who leaked customer personal information and recovered the devices in line with a government directive, but police countered that there had been no coordination.
A police official said on the 26th, "Before the 21st, when Coupang voluntarily submitted evidence such as a laptop, there had been no prior contact or coordination regarding contacting the suspect or submitting evidence."
Coupang announced the previous day that it had obtained a confession from former employee A and recovered all equipment used in the hacking. It also said there was no second leak. However, the Ministry of Science and ICT pushed back, calling it a one-sided claim. As controversy grew, Coupang reiterated that the probe was conducted under government instructions, not as an "internal investigation."
Coupang explained that on the 9th the government proposed that Coupang contact the leaker, that they first met on the 14th, and that on the 16th, under government instructions, it conducted the first recovery of the leaker's desktop and hard drive and provided them to the government.
However, police said they have not confirmed which ministry or agency Coupang meant when it said it coordinated with the government. Police also said, "We are closely verifying the facts regarding Coupang's investigative process."