South Korean police believe that personal information from more than 30 million users of Coupang may have been leaked, far exceeding the company’s earlier claim that only a few thousand accounts were affected.
The statement was made on Monday by Park Jeong-bo, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, who rejected Coupang’s internal conclusion that the data breach involved just 3,000 users. The remarks were reported by Yonhap News Agency.
According to Park, the exact scale of the leak has not yet been fully confirmed, but investigators believe data linked to over 30 million customer accounts may have been stolen. He added that police are examining whether Coupang deliberately tried to downplay the seriousness of the breach.
Coupang previously announced on December 25 that a former employee of Chinese nationality had stolen personal data from about 33 million users, but claimed that only information from 3,000 individuals was actually saved. Police are now scrutinizing the credibility of that internal investigation.
As part of the probe, authorities have attempted to question Coupang’s interim CEO, Harold Rogers, regarding the company’s handling of the breach. However, Rogers failed to appear for police questioning on January 5 and January 14, despite being formally summoned.
Police have since issued a third summons, which has not yet reached its scheduled date. When asked whether an arrest warrant could be sought if Rogers again fails to appear, Park said it would depend on the reasons for his absence.
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Still, he did not rule out the possibility of detention, noting that everyone is treated under the same legal standards. In South Korea, police typically consider requesting an arrest warrant when a suspect ignores three or more summonses without a valid justification.
