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South Korea Launches Task Force: 33.7 Million Hit in Coupang Data Breach

South Korea has launched a major government task force to probe the huge Coupang data breach. The breach compromised the personal information of a staggering 33.7 million users. Officials are calling it a major social crisis that has damaged public trust. The investigation aims to find the cause, assign accountability, and strengthen data protection policies.

Key Points: South Korea Launches Task Force for Coupang Data Breach Probe

  • An interagency task force held its first meeting to investigate the massive data breach
  • The task force includes officials from science, labor, finance, police, and spy agencies
  • Coupang's daily active users have fallen significantly since the breach disclosure
  • The exposed data includes names, phone numbers, emails, and delivery details for millions
  • The government warns of stern legal measures if violations by Coupang are found
2 min read

S. Korea launches task force for Coupang data breach probe

South Korea forms an interagency task force to investigate the Coupang data breach affecting 33.7 million users and protect consumer data.

"The government considers the Coupang incident a major social crisis that has damaged public trust. - Second Vice Science Minister Ryu Je-myung"

Seoul, Dec 23

South Korea on Tuesday launched an interagency task force (TF) to carry out an investigation into the recent data breach at US e-commerce giant Coupang that affected 33.7 million users.

The new TF, comprising officials from the science and labor ministries, along with the media watchdog, financial authorities, the police and the spy agency, held its first meeting on the day to investigate facts behind the breach, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The task force will discuss ways to protect users and revamp data protection policies, the ministry said.

"The government considers the Coupang incident a major social crisis that has damaged public trust," Second Vice Science Minister Ryu Je-myung said in a release.

"Through the government-wide TF, we will investigate the cause of the incident and identify accountability, while protecting users and strengthening corporate social responsibility," Ryu added.

Ryu said the government will "take stern measures" if the investigation reveals any legal violations by Coupang.

In November, Coupang said the personal information of its customers had been compromised, indicating that data, such as names, phone numbers, email addresses and delivery details of nearly all members, has been affected.

Meanwhile, Coupang’s daily active user (DAU) count has fallen to the 14 million range following the e-commerce giant's disclosure of a massive data breach late last month, industry data showed on Monday.

Coupang's estimated DAU had stood at 14.88 million as of Friday, according to MobileIndex, a data platform operated by industry tracker IGAWorks, reports Yonhap news agency.

The figure marked the first time Coupang's daily user count dropped into the 14 million range since Oct. 25, when it recorded 14.91 million users.

Over the roughly three-month period from early October through Friday, Coupang's daily user count fell below 15 million on only three occasions -- Oct. 4-6 during the Chuseok holiday period, Oct. 25 and Dec. 19.

On Nov. 29, Coupang confirmed that the personal information of 33.7 million customer accounts had been exposed, far exceeding the 4,500 accounts initially reported to authorities on Nov. 20.

The number of affected accounts is equivalent to nearly two-thirds of South Korea's population.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good to see the South Korean government taking swift action with a task force. In India, we often see delays in such responses. The user drop from 15 million to 14 million shows customers are voting with their feet. Companies only learn when it hits their wallet.
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Aman W
Names, phone numbers, emails, delivery details... that's a goldmine for scammers. I hope Indian e-commerce platforms like Flipkart and Amazon are watching this closely and auditing their own security. Once trust is broken, it's very hard to get back.
S
Sarah B
The scale is shocking. From initially reporting 4,500 accounts to admitting 33.7 million? That's a huge discrepancy. Transparency is key in such crises. Respect to the users who stopped using the service – that's the real pressure for change.
V
Vikram M
Including the spy agency in the task force is interesting. It shows they're treating it as a national security issue, not just a corporate mistake. Data is the new oil, and its leakage can have serious consequences. A lesson for all nations.
K
Kavya N
While the government's response is commendable, one has to ask – where was the oversight before this happened? Reactive measures are good, but proactive prevention is better. Hope India's data protection board focuses on prevention, not just post-breach action.

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