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Coupang's Seoul headquarters raided over data leak

Published: 09 Dec. 2025, 17:50 Updated: 09 Dec. 2025, 20:42

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union stage a protest condemning Coupang over the firm's customer data leaks and alleged security negligence in front of Coupang’s headquarters in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Dec. 9. [NEWS1]

Police raided Coupang’s Seoul headquarters on Tuesday in the first step of a widening probe into a data breach that exposed the personal information of more than 33.7 million customers.

Officers began the search at around 11 a.m., sending a 17-member team led by a superintendent, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s cybercrime unit said. Police moved to secure internal records tied to the leak.

A police official described the raid as “a necessary measure to understand the case accurately” and said investigators would use the digital evidence to determine who leaked the data, how the breach occurred and what weaknesses allowed it to happen.

Police had relied on server logs and other materials Coupang submitted voluntarily, but the decision to launch a raid followed concerns that those documents were not sufficient to identify the suspect or map the full scope of the breach.

The investigation began on Nov. 18 after the firm reported a customer data leak. Police opened a formal case a week later when Coupang filed a complaint and questioned the complainant on Nov. 28, securing the IP address used in the breach.

Coupang has said the leak spanned from June to November and involved the names, email addresses, phone numbers and delivery addresses of more than 33.7 million accounts.

The company has claimed that a former employee of Chinese nationality was the likely source of the leak. Police said they are “still working to identify the suspect, including confirming the person’s nationality."

The Coupang logo is seen at the firm's headquarters in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Dec. 9. [NEWS1]

The fallout widened after large numbers of customers and the company’s call center received threatening emails on Nov. 16 and 25 claiming possession of the data and warning that the sender would go to the media unless Coupang strengthened its security. They also referenced "front-door entry methods," a detail the company had not included in its initial disclosure.

Police said last week they would also examine potential security gaps in Coupang’s internal systems. Depending on the findings from Tuesday’s raid, investigators may expand the probe to include senior executives or personal data managers, and could take the case further if they uncover signs that the company ignored or tried to hide the breach.

The National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee voted Tuesday to summon six Coupang executives, including founder and Chairman Bom Kim, for a hearing on the breach on Dec. 17. Lawmakers said they would consider compulsory measures if Kim does not attend.

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 MOON SANG-HYEOK [[email protected]]