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Following a large-scale data leak, the South Korean online retailer Coupang has publicly apologized. Personal data of over 33 million customers was compromised. The government is investigating and a former employee is under suspicion.
Online retailer Coupang, whose holding company is also the new parent company of Farfetch, has publicly apologized for a massive data protection incident. The personal data of around 33.7 million customers was compromised. The incident is one of the most serious security breaches in the history of South Korean e-commerce.
Security breach affects millions of users
According to Reuters, the company announced on Saturday that it had already discovered the incident on November 18 and reported it to the relevant authorities. The tapped information includes names, email addresses, telephone numbers, delivery addresses and individual order histories. According to Coupang, payment data and access data were not affected. The unauthorized data retrieval is said to have begun on 24 June via servers abroad.
Former employee under suspicion
According to reports from the South Korean news agency Yonhap, a former Chinese employee of the company is suspected of having initiated the attack. Coupang has filed a complaint with the police, who have now begun an investigation. Yonhap did not disclose the sources of this information.
Government responds with emergency meeting
The South Korean Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) convened an emergency meeting on Sunday. Minister Bae Kyung-hoon announced an investigation into whether Coupang had violated legal regulations on data protection. The incident is one in a series of similar data protection mishaps at major South Korean companies, including SK Telecom.
The company promised to work closely with the investigating authorities and reiterated its apology to the customers affected.
