[SEOUL] Online retailer Coupang’s founder Kim Bom apologised for the first time for a recent leak of customer data and pledged to unveil a compensation plan as soon as possible, in a statement posted on the South Korean company’s website.
Coupang’s US-based chairman said in Korean that he “sincerely apologises” for the data breach.
The breach was first revealed in November. The chairman also pledged to make investments and implement reforms to prevent future data breaches.
Kim has faced intense criticism in South Korea for failing to attend parliamentary hearings which were held in Seoul earlier this month on one of the country’s worst data breaches.
On Sunday (Dec 28), Representative Choi Min-hee of the ruling Democratic Party posted on Facebook a photo of a document that Kim sent to the National Assembly saying that he would again be unable to attend a hearing, scheduled for this week, citing other appointments.
“What in his schedule could be more important to him than this hacking incident?” Choi said. “Kim is insulting the public.”
Kim said the company, cooperating with the government, has restored all leaked personal information, and confirmed that data from 3,000 of Coupang’s 33 million customers had been saved by a suspect on his personal computer but was not transferred or sold to any third party.
Coupang will announce a compensation plan for South Korean customers as soon as possible, he said, without elaborating.
South Korean lawmakers are seeking to take legal action against the company’s billionaire founder.
They are arguing that the New York-listed online retailer earns most of its revenue from sales in South Korea.
Kim said Coupang had worked closely with the South Korean government’s investigation into the breach, while maintaining confidentiality.
The comment followed a complaint made by the government that the company had unilaterally disclosed information that the suspect was a former employee. REUTERS
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