Coupang Under Scrutiny as Police Probe Massive Data Breach, Consider Travel Ban on Interim CEO
South Korean authorities are escalating their investigation into a major data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang, with police considering a travel ban on interim CEO Harold Rogers after he failed to appear for questioning. Rogers was summoned on January 5 but did not comply without explanation, though police expect him to attend a second summons.
The breach, disclosed in November, initially appeared limited Coupang claimed only 3,000 customers were affected after analyzing a suspect’s laptop. However, authorities dispute this, with Seoul Metropolitan Police Commissioner Park Jeong-bo stating the actual number of compromised accounts could be far higher, potentially reaching 33.7 million users. The company’s internal investigation has faced criticism for allegedly downplaying the breach’s scale, and complaints have been filed against Rogers and other executives for suspected destruction of evidence and obstruction of public duties.
Adding to the controversy, the Korean government denied Coupang’s claim of a joint investigation, calling the company’s November statement “unilateral”. Police continue to examine confiscated materials to determine the full extent of the breach.
The case has raised diplomatic concerns, as Coupang is headquartered in the U.S. Korea’s Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo sought to ease tensions, emphasizing that the probe is not discriminatory and focuses solely on Coupang’s inadequate response to the incident. Meanwhile, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is weighing a business suspension for the company, pending an assessment of customer harm and remediation efforts. If Coupang fails to comply with corrective orders, the FTC could force a halt to its operations in Korea.
The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities yet to confirm the full scope of the data exposure.
Coupang cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/coupang
"id": "COU1768217420",
"linkid": "coupang",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "11/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '33.7 million',
'industry': 'E-commerce',
'location': 'South Korea (Headquartered in the United '
'States)',
'name': 'Coupang',
'type': 'Online Retailer'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Coupang provided an update on the case, but it was '
'disputed by the government',
'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '33.7 million (disputed; '
'initially claimed 3,000)',
'personally_identifiable_information': True,
'sensitivity_of_data': 'Personally Identifiable Information',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'Personal Information'},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-11',
'description': "Police are investigating Coupang's interim CEO Harold Rogers "
'for allegedly downplaying the scale of a data breach '
'affecting 33.7 million customers. Rogers failed to appear for '
'questioning, leading to potential legal actions, including a '
'travel ban. The company initially claimed only 3,000 '
'customers were affected, but authorities dispute this figure. '
'Complaints have been filed against executives for destruction '
"of evidence and obstruction of public officials' duties. "
'Regulatory bodies are considering business suspension for '
'Coupang in Korea.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': True,
'customer_complaints': True,
'data_compromised': "33.7 million customers' personal information",
'identity_theft_risk': True,
'legal_liabilities': True},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Inadequate response to data '
'breach, alleged downplaying of '
'scale, obstruction of '
'investigation'},
'references': [{'source': 'Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency'},
{'source': 'Korea Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo'},
{'source': 'Fair Trade Commission Chairman Ju Biung-ghi'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Complaints filed for destruction '
'of evidence and obstruction of '
"public officials' duties",
'regulatory_notifications': 'Fair Trade Commission '
'considering business '
'suspension'},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Unilateral announcement by Coupang, '
'disputed by government',
'containment_measures': 'Seized and analyzed a laptop used by '
'the suspect',
'law_enforcement_notified': True},
'threat_actor': 'Former Employee',
'title': 'Coupang Massive Data Breach Investigation',
'type': 'Data Breach'}