Korea elevates government response to Coupang data breach

Yonhap News

The South Korean government has stepped up its response to a major data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang Inc., expanding an inter-ministerial task force and placing it under the leadership of the Minister of Science and ICT.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said on Thursday that the task force, previously chaired at the vice-ministerial level, will now be overseen by Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, who

also serves as the Deputy Prime Minister, signaling a tougher and more coordinated government stance on the incident.

Senior officials from multiple ministries and regulatory bodies attended a high-level countermeasures meeting on Thursday, including representatives from the presidential office, the foreign and trade ministries, and the Financial Services Commission.

The participants reviewed the investigation‘s findings, discussed measures to prevent further damage, and coordinated steps to strengthen consumer protection.

The task force will continue to investigate the breach and pursue accountability, while also drafting broader institutional reforms aimed at preventing data leaks and consumer harm at large digital platforms that play a critical role in everyday life, the ministry said.

The science ministry pushed back against Coupang’s recent public disclosure that identified what it said was the source and scope of the data leak. The ministry added that the details have not yet been confirmed by the joint investigation team, which is still examining the nature, scale, and circumstances of the breach.