BY COMFORT OGBONNA
South Korea’s largest online retailer, Coupang, announced on Wednesday that CEO Park Dae-jun has stepped down, taking responsibility for a massive data breach that has sparked widespread concern and criticism across the country. His resignation underscores the severity of the incident, which has become one of the biggest cybersecurity failures in South Korea’s recent history.
In its statement, Coupang said it “deeply apologises for causing concerns to the public,” emphasizing that the company is committed to rebuilding customer trust. The retail giant said it will implement stronger security safeguards, review internal protocols, and work closely with authorities to ensure such an incident never happens again.
Harold Rogers, the chief administrative officer of Coupang’s U.S.-based parent company, has been appointed interim CEO. Rogers is expected to oversee the company’s response to the crisis and guide the next phase of security reforms while Coupang searches for a permanent leader.
The breach, believed to have begun in June, exposed sensitive personal information belonging to more than 33 million customers, making it one of the most damaging data leaks in the nation’s digital commerce sector. The compromised data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, shipping details, and some order histories. Coupang stated that payment information and login credentials were not affected, but public confidence has nonetheless taken a significant hit.
Park’s departure came shortly after Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announced that the government will conduct a full-scale investigation, vowing strict action if any laws were violated. The administration has signaled that the case could prompt broader reforms in how major companies handle consumer data.
Adding to the mounting pressure, South Korean police raided Coupang’s Seoul office earlier this week, seizing documents and electronic records as part of an ongoing probe into the breach.
The fallout continues to unfold as consumers, cybersecurity experts, and government officials call for stronger data protection standards and greater corporate accountability in an increasingly digital economy.
Original article
Comments