CEO of major South Korean retailer Coupang steps down following significant data leak

Coupang CEO Steps Down Following Major Data Breach

Park Dae-jun has stepped down from his role as CEO of Coupang, one of South Korea’s largest retailers, after a significant data breach compromised the personal details of over half the nation’s citizens.

In his official statement, Park expressed regret for the incident, acknowledging his responsibility for both the breach and the efforts to address its aftermath.

Harold Rogers, who previously served as the chief legal officer at Coupang’s parent company in the United States, has been appointed as Park’s successor, according to a translated company announcement.

Coupang, frequently likened to Amazon due to its leading position in South Korea’s e-commerce and logistics sectors, disclosed last month that nearly 34 million individuals were impacted by the breach. The unauthorized access reportedly started in June but went undetected until November, at which point Coupang initially reported that data from just over 4,500 customers had been compromised. That number was later revised to reflect the much larger scale of the incident.

This security lapse at Coupang adds to a series of cyber incidents that have affected major corporations and government entities in South Korea this year, including a devastating data center fire that resulted in the permanent loss of critical government information.