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Lawmakers slam 'cowardly' Coupang founder for hiding behind foreign executives

Published: 17 Dec. 2025, 16:55 Updated: 18 Dec. 2025, 14:52

KIM JU-YEON
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Harold Rogers, interim head of Coupang, answers lawmakers' questions at a parliamentary hearing held by the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee at the National Assembly building in western Seoul on Dec. 17, 2025. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

Lawmakers on Wednesday blasted e-commerce giant Coupang at a parliamentary hearing over the company’s failure to protect the personal data of more than 33 million customers, citing an inability to grill the company's foreign executives and criticizing the repeated "cowardly" absence of founder Bom Kim.

Interim CEO Harold Rogers told lawmakers the company was still reviewing compensation measures and would announce a plan after regulatory authorities complete their investigation at a hearing of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee on Wednesday. Brett Matthes, the company’s chief information security officer, was also present.

"We take this matter very seriously, and are working diligently to make sure we respond to your questions, to the concerns of our regulators and to the concerns of our customers," said Rogers.

"We are currently looking at a compensation package and putting one together," he said.

Rogers added that Coupang had reported the data breach to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) not because it was a requirement, but to reduce an "asymmetry of information" between Korea and the United States, where Coupang's parent company is listed.

"The type of data that was leaked in this incident would not violate U.S. privacy law," Rogers said.

The hearing comes after Coupang reported in late November that the personal information of more than 33 million users on the online marketplace had been compromised. Rogers, the former chief administrative officer, was appointed interim head of Coupang's Korean operations after his predecessor, Park Dae-jun, resigned on Dec. 10.

Rogers said Coupang was working to strengthen its data governance and was reviewing its practices to ensure it did not retain unnecessary personal information.

Members of the Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations call for Coupang users to quit their subscriptions to the e-commerce platform, following a data breach that compromised over 33 million users' personal information, at Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 17. [NEWS1]

The Wednesday hearing was marked by repeated disruptions due to language barriers while questioning Rogers and Matthes. The delays drew complaints from lawmakers, with some saying that questioning foreign witnesses amounted to a waste of time.

Before questioning began, committee chair Choi Min-hee asked through an interpreter about the witnesses’ Korean language abilities. Rogers’ interpreter said he did not speak Korean and could only manage basic greetings. Matthes’ interpreter said he could use Korean expressions like “mother-in-law,” “sister-in-law” and “wife,” along with simple greetings, but could not understand lawmakers’ questions. Coupang later confirmed that Matthes’ wife is Korean.

Coupang founder and chairman Bom Kim did not attend the hearing, prompting criticism from lawmakers who accused senior management of avoiding responsibility. The chairman cited "business commitments as the CEO of a global company" as the reason for not attending.

Rep. Choi Hyung-du of the People Power Party (PPP) criticized Kim, saying the chairman was avoiding responsibility by putting forward foreign executives who could not communicate in Korean.

"Kim could have explained everything clearly in his native language, but instead, he hid behind foreign witnesses. That is cowardly,” Choi said.

Tensions rose when Rep. Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party asked Rogers why Kim did not attend the hearing. Rogers responded, “Happy to be here,” before apologizing and saying he would answer questions as Coupang’s Korea representative — effectively dodging the question.

Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker and committee chair Choi Min-hee ordered that the remark be removed from the official record, saying ceremonial remarks were unnecessary. At one point, Lee asked Matthes a question in Korean and appeared to understand the response without interpretation, to which Choi noted that only Lee seemed to understand and instructed the interpreter to translate.

Choi also criticized Coupang chair Kim and former Coupang chief executives Park and Kang Han-seung for submitting written explanations for their absence, saying the move showed disregard for the National Assembly and the public.

“This can only be seen as an act of disrespect — not just to the National Assembly but to the people of Korea,” she said, adding that lawmakers will pursue accountability to the end in accordance with the law."

"We will thoroughly determine the course of events and where responsibility lies," she said.

The National Policy Committee said Wednesday it would file a complaint against Kim for failing to appear at parliamentary audits without any "justifiable reasons," which PPP lawmaker Kang Min-suk said "undermined the National Assembly's authority." The chairman had also missed two summons by the National Policy Committee for parliamentary audits in October.

Separately, DP lawmakers from the science committee said Monday they would file complaints against Kim and former CEOs Park and Kang for not attending the Wednesday hearing.

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 LIM SUN-YOUNG, KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]