Harold Rogers, Coupang's acting chief, who was asked by police to appear for questioning over a personal data leak and other issues, recently left the country, it was confirmed.
According to police and others on the 13th, Rogers left Korea on a business trip. Police have asked the Ministry of Justice to notify them when Rogers enters the country. Entry notification is an administrative step in which investigative authorities ask the Ministry of Justice for cooperation to track a specific person's entry status.
Earlier, as Coupang released its internal investigation results on the personal data leak, Rogers was accused on charges including obstruction of official duties and obstruction of business.
Police demanded that Rogers appear once, but he did not comply. At a regular press briefing the day before, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Park Jeong-bo said, "We have issued a second request for appearance to Rogers."
As Rogers' side has said it will comply with the second request, it is coordinating the schedule with police. A Coupang official said, "This is a scheduled business trip, and we have already informed police of our intention to cooperate and appear," adding, "We are actively consulting with police."
Police are analyzing seized materials to determine the scale of Coupang's personal data leak. While Coupang said through its own probe that the leaker had stored information on only 3,000 people, police believe the scale is larger.
Police are also working with the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO, Interpol) to summon a former Chinese Coupang employee identified as a suspect.