Business suspension of Coupang possible amid data-breach probe: FTC chief

Seoul, Jan 12 Ordering a temporary suspension of business operations at e-commerce giant Coupang may be possible, the head of South Korea's antitrust watchdog said on Monday, amid an ongoing investigation over a recent large-scale data breach at the US-listed company.

"If an order is not implemented or if it is deemed insufficient to provide relief to affected consumers, a business suspension is also possible," Ju

Coupang announced the results of its internal probe on Dec. 25, saying a former employee had stolen personal information from 33.7 million user accounts but saved data from only about 3,000 accounts, which, it claimed, was later deleted.

The science ministry quickly dismissed the findings as one-sided and an incomplete conclusion, stressing that a joint public-private investigation involving the ministry and the Personal Information Protection Commission has yet to be concluded.

Ju said the FTC was also examining other issues related to Coupang beyond the data breach, including its business practices.

He added that the FTC will soon announce the results of its deliberations on allegations that Coupang passed on losses incurred from sales at low prices to partner suppliers.

Meanwhile, Police summoned Harold Rogers, interim chief executive officer (CEO) of Coupang Corp., to appear for questioning as part of an investigation into the company's alleged wrongdoings, including a recent large-scale data leak, sources said.

A special task force (TF) at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, launched earlier this month, was scheduling an appearance date with Rogers, according to the sources.

The summons was reportedly related to the controversy over the e-commerce giant's own investigation following the data breach.

Coupang announced the results of its probe on Dec. 25 that a suspect stole personal information from 33 million users, but only saved the data of 3,000 individuals. In response, the science ministry dismissed the findings as being one-sided and incomplete.

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