A significant cybersecurity incident has struck South Korea’s largest online retailer, Coupang, after the company confirmed that the personal information of 33.7 million customers had been exposed. The breach has triggered a government investigation and renewed concerns over rising digital threats targeting major corporations.
Coupang said it detected the breach on 18 November and immediately informed authorities. The company revealed that names, phone numbers, email addresses, shipping details and parts of customers’ order histories were compromised. It clarified that payment details and login passwords were not affected. The unauthorised access is believed to have started on 24 June and was carried out through overseas servers.
Park Dae jun, the chief executive of the retailer, posted an apology on the company’s website. He expressed regret for the distress caused to users and said the firm is working with police and regulatory agencies to determine the full scope of the intrusion. He added that internal investigations remain ongoing.
The large scale breach led to an emergency meeting by the Ministry of Science and ICT, which is now reviewing whether the company failed to meet data protection requirements. Minister Bae Kyung hoon said officials are examining Coupang’s security standards and its compliance with rules on safeguarding personal information.
Local reports indicate that police are investigating a former Chinese employee of the company in connection with the case. Coupang has filed an official complaint with law enforcement, though no additional details have been released.
The attack adds to a growing pattern of data breach leaks affecting major organisations in South Korea, including firms in the telecom sector. Cybersecurity authorities have warned that incidents of this scale show continuing weaknesses across corporate networks.
Government officials have urged affected customers to stay cautious. They advised users to watch for phishing attempts, avoid clicking on unfamiliar links and monitor their accounts closely for suspicious activity.
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