Coupang data leak: Presidential office to hold emergency meeting

Seoul, Dec 25 The presidential office was set to hold an emergency meeting with relevant government officials later on Thursday to discuss a recent data breach at e-commerce giant Coupang, informed sources told Yonhap news agency.

"There is widespread understanding within the government about the seriousness of the breach," a source said, asking not to be identified. "Given the gravity of the issue, the meeting will take place even on the holiday.”

Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, was set to chair the meeting, which will also be attended by Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, Personal Information Protection Commission Chair Song Kyung-hee, Korea Media Communications Commission Chair Kim Jong-cheol and Fair Trade Commission Chair Ju Biung-ghi. Officials from investigative agencies, such as the National Police Agency, are also expected to attend, according to the source.

Notably, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and officials from the National Security Office are said to be attending the meeting, indicating they may look into Coupang's lobbying activities in the United States.

Other sources close to the issue noted the fact that the meeting will be held on a holiday suggests how seriously President Lee Jae Myung takes the issue.

During a briefing by the finance ministry on Dec. 11, Lee criticized the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant, saying, "Those people are not afraid of punishment at all."

Earlier, South Korea launched an interagency task force (TF) to carry out an investigation into the recent data breach at U.S. 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.

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