South Korea Launches "Major Crisis" Task Force to Probe Coupang Data Breach Affecting 33.7M Users

The South Korean government on Tuesday launched a high-level, multi-agency task force to investigate a massive data breach at U.S.-based e-commerce giant Coupang that compromised the personal information of 33.7 million. Officials have labeled the incident a "major social crisis that has damaged public trust."

Government Vows "Stern Measures"

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the new task force comprises a powerful coalition of officials from the science and labor ministries, the national media watchdog, financial authorities, the police, and even the national spy agency. The group held its first meeting on Tuesday to begin investigating the facts behind the breach, discuss user protection, and revamp the nation's data protection policies.

"Through the government-wide TF, we will investigate the cause of the incident and identify accountability," Second Vice Science Minister Ryu Je-myung said in a statement. He added that the government will "take stern measures" if the investigation uncovers any legal violations by Coupang.

Scope of the Breach: Nearly All Members Affected

The investigation follows Coupang's announcement in November that its customer data had been compromised. The breach reportedly affected nearly all of its members, exposing sensitive information such as names, phone numbers, email addresses, and delivery details. The scale of the leak prompted a police raid on Coupang's Seoul headquarters on December 9.