Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon said Thursday the government will mount a comprehensive response to the Coupang crisis, vowing to "leave no suspicion unaddressed and ensure public safety through thorough investigation to the end."
"The entire government will work as one team," Bae said at a meeting of the pan-government task force on the Coupang crisis. "A company that has grown on public trust cannot be justified in evading responsibility."
Bae emphasized that Coupang's leak of more than 30 million customer data records constitutes a clear violation of domestic law. "If Coupang is confirmed to have violated relevant laws, the government will take strict action based on law and principle, the same as with any other company," he said.
"This issue goes beyond personal data protection—it is directly connected to public safety, consumer rights, and corporate social responsibility as a whole," Bae added.
The task force, led by Bae, includes the Personal Information Protection Commission, National Police Agency, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Fair Trade Commission, National Tax Service, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, National Intelligence Service, Financial Services Commission, Korea Communications Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
The government views the Coupang crisis not as a simple internal corporate matter but as a critical issue directly linked to personal data protection in the digital platform era, platform accountability, worker safety, fair market order, and legal compliance across the logistics and distribution sectors.
Under the division of responsibilities, the Ministry of Science and ICT will investigate the cause of the breach and Coupang's security vulnerabilities. The Personal Information Protection Commission will examine the scale and scope of the data leak and whether the Personal Information Protection Act was violated. The Financial Services Commission will investigate the possibility of fraudulent payments and high-interest lending practices. The National Police Agency will analyze seized materials and pursue suspects through international cooperation.
The Fair Trade Commission will determine whether to impose a business suspension based on factors including information misuse, potential financial damage to consumers, and Coupang's remedial measures. The FTC and the Korea Communications Commission are investigating whether the company's complicated account deletion process violates the E-Commerce Act and the Telecommunications Business Act.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor will conduct inspections on Coupang's night work practices and health protection measures, while the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will pursue institutional reforms to improve working conditions.
