Coupang (CPNG) has introduced "passkey," a biometric-based authentication method, to its Korean service. The move is seen as a follow-up measure to protect user accounts, following calls to strengthen security after a massive personal data leak late last year.
According to reporting by Seoul Economic Daily on Tuesday, Coupang last month applied passkey — an authentication method that uses fingerprints, facial recognition, or personal identification numbers (PIN) instead of passwords — to its Korean service. Passkey is a login method that utilizes a user's biometric information or authentication credentials stored on the device. The technology is considered to reduce the risks of phishing and account takeover compared with conventional password-based authentication.
Coupang first introduced passkey to its Taiwan service in October last year. At the time, Coupang actively promoted the adoption of the technology, calling itself "the first overseas e-commerce company operating in Taiwan" to do so. The company was later recognized by the Taiwanese government for creating a safe shopping environment and protecting consumers, and was selected as a "Good E-Commerce Company."
In contrast, Coupang piloted the passkey feature with some users in Korea around the same time but did not roll it out officially. The subsequent personal data leak heightened the need to strengthen security systems, and the necessity of adopting passkey was also raised in the National Assembly. At a National Policy Committee session last December, then-Coupang CEO Park Dae-joon said, "If we had introduced passkey, we could have provided much safer service," adding, "We will review introducing it promptly."
Brett Matthis, Coupang's chief information security officer (CISO), also said, "Because the Korean market has a large number of customers, the process of introducing passkey requires a more complex procedure." He added, "We will strive to introduce it swiftly while minimizing customer inconvenience."
