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The founder of South Korea's largest e-commerce platform has issued his first public apology over a massive data leak, more than a month after the breach was first reported to authorities.
Kim Bom-suk, who founded Coupang, acknowledged Sunday that the company's handling of the incident had fallen short of customer expectations.
The breach has affected personal data linked to more than 33 million customer accounts—approximately two-thirds of South Korea's total population—though the company maintains the actual scope was far more limited.
"We have caused significant concern and inconvenience to our customers and the public due to the personal data breach," Kim said in a statement posted on the company's website. "I sincerely apologize for the inadequate initial response and lack of communication."
The apology comes amid growing public anger over the company's response to the leak and Kim's repeated refusals to testify before parliamentary hearings scheduled for this week.
A central point of contention remains the number of customers whose information was actually compromised. While more than 33 million customer records were potentially exposed, Coupang has consistently maintained that only 3,000 customer records were involved in the breach. South Korean authorities have not yet confirmed this figure.
Kim reiterated the company's position in his statement, saying the customer information found on the suspect's computer was limited to 3,000 records and had not been leaked or sold to external parties.
He added that Coupang had completed full recovery of the leaked information in cooperation with government authorities.
According to Seoul police, the data leak occurred through Coupang's overseas servers between June 24 and November 8. The company only became aware of the breach last month, when it filed a complaint against a former employee who is a Chinese national, police and local media reports indicate.
The suspect has not yet been apprehended by authorities. Police searched Coupang's facilities earlier this month as public criticism mounted over what observers described as the company's attempts to minimize the severity of the incident.
Kim's apology has done little to satisfy South Korean lawmakers, who have expressed frustration over his decision not to appear at parliamentary hearings scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The founder cited scheduling conflicts and his overseas residence as reasons for declining the invitation.
Lawmaker Choi Min-hee, who is set to chair the sessions, rejected Kim's explanation. "What schedule could be more important than this?" Choi wrote in a Facebook post, calling Kim's refusal "a disregard for, and mockery of, the parliament."
The controversy has also spilled into legal action abroad. Coupang now faces a class-action lawsuit in the United States, where the company maintains its global headquarters and is listed on the stock market.
In his statement, Kim acknowledged that his decision to delay a public apology until all facts were confirmed had been a mistake. "In retrospect, it was a wrong judgment," he said.
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