‘Amazon of South Korea’ founder says sorry after massive data breach

Data Breach

The founder and chairman of Coupang, often described as the Amazon of South Korea, has issued a rare and highly personal apology after a hacking incident that compromised customer data and triggered intense public scrutiny. Kim Bom’s statement, published on the company’s official website, follows weeks of criticism over the company’s handling of the breach and his absence from parliamentary hearings in Seoul.

The incident, which came to light in November, involved the unauthorised access to customer information and raised serious questions about Coupang’s internal security controls. In his letter, Kim acknowledged the anxiety and inconvenience caused to customers and admitted that the company’s initial response, particularly its lack of public communication, fell short of expectations.

Writing in Korean and later translated into English, Kim Bom said he felt devastated by the disappointment experienced by customers and accepted full responsibility as founder and chairman. He admitted that while Coupang focused heavily on containing the breach and preventing secondary damage, he underestimated the importance of speaking directly to the public at an earlier stage.

Kim explained that his decision to delay a public apology was driven by a desire to first establish the facts and avoid contributing to misinformation during an ongoing investigation. In hindsight, he described this judgment as a mistake. He stated that his heart had been heavy since learning of the breach and that he should have apologised immediately, regardless of the investigative process.

According to the letter, Coupang worked closely with government authorities from the outset. The company says it identified the individual responsible for the leak, recovered all storage devices involved, and restored 100 percent of the compromised customer information through cooperation with regulators. Kim noted that the recovered data amounted to approximately 3,000 records and that investigators found no evidence of the information being sold or distributed externally. He added that the investigation remains ongoing and that Coupang will continue to provide updates as new findings emerge.

Despite these assurances, Kim acknowledged that successfully recovering the leaked data does not excuse the failure to prevent the breach in the first place. He offered a direct apology for that failure and accepted criticism over his communication style and public absence during the early stages of the crisis.

Looking ahead, Kim pledged a complete reset of Coupang’s approach to information security. He said the board of directors would oversee a compensation plan for affected customers in South Korea and ensure that it is implemented without delay. He also committed to significantly increasing investment in cybersecurity infrastructure, promising that necessary upgrades would not be postponed or diluted.

Kim framed the incident as a painful but important turning point for the company. He said Coupang would treat the breach as a lesson and use it as a foundation to build a world-class cybersecurity system. Once the government’s final investigation concludes, the company plans to introduce additional safeguards designed to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The letter closed with a renewed apology and a reminder of what Kim described as Coupang’s core reason for existing. Customer trust, he wrote, is the foundation of the company, and restoring that trust will require sustained effort, transparency, and change, not just words.