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Police in the middle of tracking down Coupang data leak suspect

Published: 01 Dec. 2025, 14:25

The picture shows the Coupang headquarters in southern Seoul on Nov. 30. [NEWS1]

Police are tracking down a suspect accused of leaking the personal data of 33.7 million users of Coupang, Korea's largest e-commerce platform.

An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said during a regular press briefing on Monday that investigators “are currently analyzing server log records submitted by Coupang” and “have identified the IP address used by the suspect and are tracing it.”

When asked about the rumor that the suspect may be a former Coupang employee and Chinese national, the official said, “We are analyzing all possibilities based on the materials submitted, including that one,” adding, “As the investigation is still ongoing, we cannot comment on the suspect's nationality at this stage.”

“The email was indeed sent to Coupang’s customer service account,” the official said. “We are checking whether the person involved in the leak, the sender of the threatening email and the former Coupang employee mentioned by the company are the same individual,” the official said.

Coupang delivery trucks are seen at a logistics center in Seoul on Nov. 21. [YONHAP]

Police began a preliminary investigation on Nov. 18 after receiving Coupang’s report of a personal data breach.

Coupang formally filed a complaint on Nov. 25, asking police to investigate an unidentified suspect on charges of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. The case then progressed into a full investigation, and police questioned Coupang’s legal representatives last Friday. Investigators said they may summon them again if needed.

“So far, we have not received any reports of secondary damage, such as voice phishing or smishing [phishing through fake texts], related to this case,” the official said. “However, as there are concerns about potential follow-up crimes, we are working closely with relevant government agencies to prevent further harm.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]